12 July 2024: The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs

This week in Australian foreign affairs: Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo in Australia for talks; Marles in Washington D.C. for NATO Summit; new assistance package for Ukraine; Australia shares committment to Drone Coalition; Marles meets with NATO Indo-Pacific Four partners, and more.

On 10 July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for International Development and the Pacific and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy to welcome Prime Minister of Tuvalu Feleti Teo, to Australia. Teo is here to discuss progress on implementation of the Falepili Union. The Albanese government announced AUD$40 million in aviation and connectivity support to further boost people to people ties. Meanwhile, Teo has announced his government’s intention to open a new diplomatic mission to Australia. While here, he “will visit Brisbane, Adelaide and Tamworth and meet with Prime Minister Albanese, senior members of the Government and Opposition, PALM workers and diaspora.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles has been in Washington D.C. this week to attend the NATO summit. During this time, Marles will also attend the Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD), and “undertake a number of engagements with representatives of the US Congress and senior officials” to discuss the progress on AUKUS.

During interviews in Washington, Marles sidestepped ongoing questions about the American elections, including questions of President Joe Biden’s ability to succeed against former president Donald Trump. Questions about Trump’s potential return to the White House and the implications for AUKUS were also raised. Marles reiterated that the government doesn’t have any concerns, and remains “confident that whatever happens in November in America, we will continue to have a strong alliance with the United States and the key equities that we have in that alliance will be able to be maintained.” Marles participated this week in a congressional program meeting a number of members of Congress from across the political spectrum, thanking them for their support, but also “making clear what the next challenges are in terms of the AUKUS journey.”

Also in Washington, on 11 July, Marles shared Australia’s commitment to peace and security with a Joint Statement by the Drone Coalition’s Ministers of Defence. “The Drone Coalition is focused on providing Ukraine with drones and components produced by the industry of UDCG countries, as well as finding ways to support Ukrainian manufacturers to ensure that the Ukrainian Defence Forces are equipped with the most efficient capabilities.” The Drone Coalition includes Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, Poland and Latvia. The group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a framework “outlining the Coalition’s core activities, management structure procurement mechanisms. With this MoU we establish the UK-led Drone Coalition Common Fund enabling joint procurement for rapid and efficient drone deliveries. So far, the Netherlands, the UK, Latvia, New Zealand, and Sweden have pledged in total over €45M to the Common Fund, with additional contributions anticipated.”

The Albanese government on 11 July announced the nation’s largest single military assistance package to Ukraine, worth nearly AUD$250 million. During the NATO summit, Marles “met with Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy alongside Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) partners [Japa, New Zealand, South Korea], where he reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to standing with Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion.” The assistance package will include air defence missiles, air-to-ground weapons, including guided weapons, anti-tank weapons, artillery, mortar, cannon, and small arms ammunition, and a “shipment of boots, ensuring the men and women of Ukraine’s armed forces are able to continue their vital efforts on the front line.” The government also announced Australia’s intention to join NATO’s “new security and training initiative for Ukraine as an operational partner.” Australia’s total contributions to Ukraine comes to more than AUD$1.3 billion.

On July 12, Marles announced he will travel to the United Kingdom from 12-13 July to meet with the newly appointed UK Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey. The “visit will provide an opportunity to discuss contemporary challenges and opportunities in the bilateral defence relationship and reinforce Australia and the UK’s enduring commitment to Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability.” While there, Marles will also visit “His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde where the first three Royal Australian Navy officers will soon begin practical training on UK Astute class submarines, after graduating from the Royal Navy’s Nuclear Reactor Course this week.”

This week, Wong released a statement commemorating the landmark establishment of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO). The month of July marks 50 years of ASNO protecting Australia from dangerous nuclear proliferation. According to the statement, “ASNO has also been central to strengthening the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, leading Australia’s efforts to implement the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). This includes hosting 21 stations as part of the international monitoring system, which is critical to detecting nuclear weapons tests, for example, in North Korea.”

Dr Adam Bartley is the managing editor for AIIA’s Australian Outlook and weekly columnist for The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and resident fellow at the Elliot School for International Affairs, the George Washington University. Adam also has positions as post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation RMIT University  and as program manager of the AI Trilateral Experts Group. He can be found on Twitter here.

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