Defense chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific region have gathered this week in Sydney to bolster their connections against a backdrop of China’s ongoing campaign to expand its influence and military presence in the region.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said that the military leaders meeting for three days are focused on “the whole situation with the rise of China, a free and open Pacific,” and ensuring a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s a big conference to coordinate our mutual security interests and discuss national security issues that apply to all of us,” Milley said.
Photo: AP / Australian Defence Force
Military leaders from 26 nations are participating in the conference, and most of those are heads of defense. China was invited, but said it would be unable to attend.
At a news conference yesterday, Milley said the chiefs of defense discussed how they can cooperate more and make their militaries more interoperable, including with advanced technologies.
He added that they also talked about military exercises.
He and Australian Defence Force Chief General Angus Campbell did not go into details, but Milley expanded on comments he made late last week about China’s increasing aggressiveness in the region, and the need for nations to ensure that the Pacific remains free and open to all.
Chinese intercepts of allied and partner aircraft in international airspace in the Pacific region have increased “several-fold” over the last five years, Milley said, calling Beijing’s behavior “much more confrontational” than five to 15 years ago.
China’s activity “seems to imply that they want to bully or dominate, as opposed to having a free and open” Pacific, he said.
Asked whether the US would increase its military presence in Australia or in other partner nations, Milley and Campbell said the discussions were ongoing and no decisions had been made.
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