Enhancing Defense Industrial Cooperation Between Australia and the United States

The alliance between Australia and the United States is becoming increasingly salient as international threats have evolved and geopolitical challenges have multiplied. In the Indo-Pacific region, the primary threat to regional stability is China, but Australia and the United States are well postured to work in partnership against a multitude of global challenges.

Defense industrial cooperation is a critical method for Australia and the United States to deter potential adversaries while integrating and expanding both nations’ defense industrial bases. Opportunities exist for companies in Australia and the United States to work across national lines, particularly via pathways other than direct sales to the partner government, such as incorporating subsidiaries in the other country. Enhancing defense industrial cooperation requires a response rooted in a clear understanding of the specific challenges of this bilateral relationship combined with a broader mastery of both countries’ strategic imperatives, defense industrial ecosystems, and acquisition processes, as well as the numerous obstacles to any form of defense industrial cooperation.

This report was made possible by the generous support of the Australia Strategic Policy Grant Program.