1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:13,069 --> 00:00:15,970 Good afternoon , everyone . Thank you 3 00:00:16,479 --> 00:00:18,368 very much for joining us for this 4 00:00:18,368 --> 00:00:21,069 landmark meeting of August defense 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,559 ministers the first ever outside the 6 00:00:23,569 --> 00:00:26,940 United States as we pass the three year 7 00:00:26,950 --> 00:00:29,940 anniversary of this caucus partnership . 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,389 And I'm delighted to welcome 9 00:00:34,439 --> 00:00:36,560 Secretary Austin and Deputy Prime 10 00:00:36,569 --> 00:00:40,400 Minister Miles and in some ways , 11 00:00:40,409 --> 00:00:43,700 very fitting to do so . At this venue , 12 00:00:44,279 --> 00:00:46,540 the old Royal Naval College in 13 00:00:46,549 --> 00:00:50,069 Greenwich where six decades ago naval 14 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,580 officers did their first nuclear 15 00:00:52,590 --> 00:00:56,200 training on a real reactor that was 16 00:00:56,209 --> 00:00:59,369 installed in the basement here . After 17 00:00:59,380 --> 00:01:02,630 of course , our US allies first agreed 18 00:01:02,639 --> 00:01:05,500 to share the details of their nuclear 19 00:01:05,510 --> 00:01:09,110 technology . 60 years on that same 20 00:01:09,370 --> 00:01:12,559 spirit of sharing skills , technology 21 00:01:12,569 --> 00:01:16,529 and trade between the UK and the US . 22 00:01:16,540 --> 00:01:20,470 And now Australia is 23 00:01:20,500 --> 00:01:23,900 the foundation for a and driving us to 24 00:01:23,910 --> 00:01:27,720 go from strength to strength this close 25 00:01:27,730 --> 00:01:29,841 relationship between the US . Britain 26 00:01:29,841 --> 00:01:32,569 and Australia has long been a force for 27 00:01:32,580 --> 00:01:35,440 stability , security and democracy in 28 00:01:35,449 --> 00:01:38,319 the world . From both world wars to the 29 00:01:38,330 --> 00:01:41,430 war on terror . Our three nations have 30 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,607 stood shoulder to shoulder through the 31 00:01:43,607 --> 00:01:46,430 generations and today in a world of 32 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,220 growing uncertainty , this partnership 33 00:01:49,230 --> 00:01:52,669 has never been more important . That is 34 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,013 an importance that is not just military , 35 00:01:55,013 --> 00:01:58,800 it is also economic . And through our 36 00:01:59,669 --> 00:02:03,239 meetings today , we have been planning 37 00:02:03,250 --> 00:02:05,930 to drive this aus partnership still 38 00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:07,718 further boosting our collective 39 00:02:07,718 --> 00:02:10,490 prosperity and security in three ways . 40 00:02:11,210 --> 00:02:13,960 First , our investment in this 41 00:02:13,970 --> 00:02:16,940 partnership helps our industries to 42 00:02:16,949 --> 00:02:19,116 prosper and it breaks down barriers to 43 00:02:19,116 --> 00:02:21,360 trade . Second , the skills and 44 00:02:21,369 --> 00:02:23,940 expertise that we share , 45 00:02:25,039 --> 00:02:28,800 boosts jobs and boosts growth across 46 00:02:28,809 --> 00:02:30,940 our nations . And third , the 47 00:02:30,949 --> 00:02:33,940 investment in our future technologies 48 00:02:34,899 --> 00:02:37,089 helps drive innovation and will help 49 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:39,649 develop new war fighting capabilities . 50 00:02:41,529 --> 00:02:43,960 Here in the UK . To date , nearly eur 51 00:02:43,970 --> 00:02:46,770 10 billion of investment has been 52 00:02:46,779 --> 00:02:49,610 allocated to UK nuclear infrastructure 53 00:02:49,929 --> 00:02:53,050 and nuclear industry since the AUS 54 00:02:53,289 --> 00:02:56,279 partnership was established . And more 55 00:02:56,289 --> 00:02:58,679 recently , as a new government , we 56 00:02:58,690 --> 00:03:01,550 have confirmed radical trade reforms to 57 00:03:01,559 --> 00:03:03,660 break down barriers to trade and to 58 00:03:03,669 --> 00:03:05,960 technology sharing exclusively between 59 00:03:05,970 --> 00:03:09,690 our three nations worth nearly 500 60 00:03:09,699 --> 00:03:12,100 million pounds a year . In the cost of 61 00:03:12,110 --> 00:03:14,649 red tape , we are able to remove 62 00:03:17,119 --> 00:03:19,230 in today's trilateral meeting between 63 00:03:19,230 --> 00:03:21,341 the three nations . We also agreed to 64 00:03:21,341 --> 00:03:24,169 add lethal UK made stingray torpedoes 65 00:03:24,179 --> 00:03:27,320 to the P eight submarine hunting 66 00:03:27,330 --> 00:03:30,360 aircraft across all three nations 67 00:03:30,759 --> 00:03:33,429 helping to counter the deep diving and 68 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,789 conventional submarines . And of course 69 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,660 then continuing the same commitment to 70 00:03:39,669 --> 00:03:43,149 sharing skills and intelligence which 71 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:44,990 goes back those 60 years to the 72 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,520 original nuclear engineers . The UK has 73 00:03:48,529 --> 00:03:51,149 today agreed to train hundreds more 74 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,729 Australian to operate , maintain 75 00:03:55,649 --> 00:03:57,649 and regulate modern nuclear powered 76 00:03:57,649 --> 00:04:00,949 submarines . After the first course of 77 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,889 250 Australians was completed this 78 00:04:03,899 --> 00:04:07,660 month . As part of that work , I can 79 00:04:07,669 --> 00:04:09,699 announce that Deputy Prime Minister 80 00:04:09,710 --> 00:04:12,160 Miles and I have agreed that 81 00:04:12,410 --> 00:04:14,850 negotiations will soon be under way for 82 00:04:14,860 --> 00:04:17,980 a new bilateral treaty to bind our 83 00:04:17,989 --> 00:04:21,928 caucus collaboration into law . This 84 00:04:21,938 --> 00:04:23,959 not only reflects our commitment to 85 00:04:24,820 --> 00:04:28,220 secure a secure Indo Pacific region 86 00:04:28,380 --> 00:04:30,713 where international rules are respected . 87 00:04:31,239 --> 00:04:33,299 It also sends a very strong message 88 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:35,950 that our defense alliance is one that 89 00:04:35,950 --> 00:04:38,117 will endure for many decades to come . 90 00:04:39,209 --> 00:04:42,230 So I and our new UK government will 91 00:04:42,239 --> 00:04:45,470 work to maximize the benefits of AUS to 92 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,859 our three nations , advancing 93 00:04:47,869 --> 00:04:50,269 technologies , developing military 94 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,899 capabilities , securing economic gains 95 00:04:53,910 --> 00:04:56,839 and growing good jobs . But above all , 96 00:04:58,220 --> 00:05:01,320 we will work to maximize the potential 97 00:05:01,329 --> 00:05:03,679 for this ever closer alliance to 98 00:05:03,690 --> 00:05:06,440 contribute to wider global security and 99 00:05:06,450 --> 00:05:10,149 stability . Finally , of course , we 100 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,839 have held these discussions under a 101 00:05:12,850 --> 00:05:15,630 cloud of growing global insecurity . 102 00:05:16,670 --> 00:05:18,448 So in our trilateral and in our 103 00:05:18,448 --> 00:05:21,190 bilateral meetings , we have reinforced 104 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,799 the need to stand together against 105 00:05:23,809 --> 00:05:27,410 Russian aggression towards peace in the 106 00:05:27,420 --> 00:05:30,350 Middle East and steadfast behind 107 00:05:30,359 --> 00:05:34,309 Ukraine . For as long as it takes in 108 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,839 serious times , you need serious 109 00:05:37,850 --> 00:05:40,920 partners . And sir Richard 110 00:05:41,420 --> 00:05:44,700 Lloyd , we in the UK , stand shoulder 111 00:05:44,709 --> 00:05:48,510 to shoulder with you with you . We will 112 00:05:48,519 --> 00:05:51,429 drive the Aus Partnership from strength 113 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:55,440 to strength . Thank you . Well , thank 114 00:05:55,450 --> 00:05:58,339 you , John . Uh thank you Lloyd . It is 115 00:05:58,350 --> 00:06:01,769 uh an honor to be here at this , the 116 00:06:01,779 --> 00:06:05,459 3rd August defense Ministers meeting as 117 00:06:05,470 --> 00:06:09,390 John just said we meet at a time 118 00:06:09,540 --> 00:06:12,220 of significant moment uh around the 119 00:06:12,230 --> 00:06:15,420 world where the rules based order is 120 00:06:15,429 --> 00:06:18,970 under pressure , under threat . And our 121 00:06:18,980 --> 00:06:22,130 three countries uh share strategic 122 00:06:22,140 --> 00:06:25,850 alignment , we share values . We stand 123 00:06:25,859 --> 00:06:27,915 in support of the maintenance of the 124 00:06:27,915 --> 00:06:30,410 rules based order . Be that in Eastern 125 00:06:30,420 --> 00:06:34,329 Europe , be that in the Indo Pacific . 126 00:06:34,790 --> 00:06:38,609 Uh And we are very grateful to have old 127 00:06:38,619 --> 00:06:42,529 close reliable partners such as the 128 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:44,707 United Kingdom and the United States . 129 00:06:45,529 --> 00:06:49,190 Today's meeting has occurred just after 130 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,640 the third anniversary of the 131 00:06:51,649 --> 00:06:54,040 announcement of August , what three 132 00:06:54,049 --> 00:06:57,950 years ago was an idea today , we can 133 00:06:57,959 --> 00:07:01,010 looking back right , rightfully say uh 134 00:07:01,019 --> 00:07:04,350 that that idea has blossomed into 135 00:07:04,359 --> 00:07:07,390 operational plans and plans which are 136 00:07:07,399 --> 00:07:10,540 being executed . Last 137 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,869 month we saw in Perth uh the 138 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,989 US S Hawaii uh a Virginia class 139 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,470 submarine undertaking a maintenance 140 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,269 package of work which is the first time 141 00:07:24,459 --> 00:07:26,292 that an American nuclear powered 142 00:07:26,292 --> 00:07:28,790 submarine has had maintenance performed 143 00:07:28,799 --> 00:07:31,029 outside of the United States or an 144 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,549 American base . It is the first time 145 00:07:33,679 --> 00:07:35,512 that an American nuclear powered 146 00:07:35,512 --> 00:07:37,457 submarine has had maintenance work 147 00:07:37,457 --> 00:07:39,584 undertake and honored by non US 148 00:07:39,595 --> 00:07:42,984 citizens . All of this uh is happening 149 00:07:42,994 --> 00:07:45,725 under the banner of the AUS arrangement . 150 00:07:45,734 --> 00:07:48,484 The very first step in what we 151 00:07:48,494 --> 00:07:51,635 announced in March of last year was an 152 00:07:51,644 --> 00:07:54,494 increased tempo of visits of nuclear 153 00:07:54,505 --> 00:07:57,494 powered submarines to Australia . That 154 00:07:57,505 --> 00:07:59,864 is happening . The submarine rotational 155 00:07:59,875 --> 00:08:01,986 force West which will take place from 156 00:08:01,986 --> 00:08:05,950 2027 um is on track and we are working 157 00:08:05,959 --> 00:08:08,480 very closely with both our partners uh 158 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:10,389 along with the Western Australian 159 00:08:10,389 --> 00:08:12,470 government to see that that is 160 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,758 happening as well . In South Australia , 161 00:08:14,758 --> 00:08:17,359 we have seen land swaps take place with 162 00:08:17,369 --> 00:08:19,480 the South Australian such that we now 163 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,299 have the site on which a production 164 00:08:22,309 --> 00:08:24,630 line will be established to build the 165 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:26,920 future nuclear powered submarines in 166 00:08:26,929 --> 00:08:29,329 Australia . The AUS variant , a variant 167 00:08:29,339 --> 00:08:32,200 that we will operate in tandem with the 168 00:08:32,210 --> 00:08:35,340 United Kingdom . We have seen at the 169 00:08:35,349 --> 00:08:38,039 end of last year and the beginning of 170 00:08:38,049 --> 00:08:40,789 this legislative and regulatory changes 171 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:43,940 take place across the US . The UK and 172 00:08:43,950 --> 00:08:45,783 Australia , which have created a 173 00:08:45,783 --> 00:08:48,020 license free seamless defense 174 00:08:48,030 --> 00:08:49,919 industrial base between our three 175 00:08:49,919 --> 00:08:52,950 countries . Right . There is one of the 176 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,489 biggest reforms to defense trade in our 177 00:08:56,500 --> 00:08:58,559 three countries that we have seen in 178 00:08:58,570 --> 00:09:01,010 decades . It will have a profound 179 00:09:01,020 --> 00:09:03,770 impact on the way in which we operate 180 00:09:03,780 --> 00:09:06,099 together . And as John has said , there 181 00:09:06,109 --> 00:09:08,270 is an economic deve uh dimension to 182 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:11,599 this which will greatly enhance defense 183 00:09:11,609 --> 00:09:14,090 industry across our three countries , 184 00:09:14,099 --> 00:09:16,919 building job skills and capability in 185 00:09:16,929 --> 00:09:19,809 the US , the UK and Australia . 186 00:09:21,289 --> 00:09:24,309 The agreements that we reached in March 187 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,409 of last year were legally underpinned 188 00:09:27,419 --> 00:09:30,190 by a treaty that was signed by our 189 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:33,219 three countries in August of this year . 190 00:09:33,510 --> 00:09:35,880 And emanating from that as John has 191 00:09:35,890 --> 00:09:38,090 just said today , we are announcing 192 00:09:38,190 --> 00:09:40,429 that negotiations will commence between 193 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:42,496 Australia and the United Kingdom for 194 00:09:42,496 --> 00:09:44,969 our own bilateral treaty in respect of 195 00:09:44,979 --> 00:09:47,940 those elements of Aus , which relate to 196 00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:50,330 the relationship between the UK and 197 00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:52,229 Australia . And that particularly 198 00:09:52,229 --> 00:09:55,250 pertains to the development of the Ss 199 00:09:55,260 --> 00:09:58,770 Sn Aus uh type submarine in the 200 00:09:58,780 --> 00:10:01,210 future . And we're really excited about 201 00:10:01,219 --> 00:10:03,108 the prospect of undertaking those 202 00:10:03,108 --> 00:10:05,104 negotiations . Today , we've also 203 00:10:05,114 --> 00:10:07,336 talked though about the challenges that 204 00:10:07,336 --> 00:10:10,765 we face um the challenges in respect of 205 00:10:10,775 --> 00:10:12,942 the human dimension , making sure that 206 00:10:12,942 --> 00:10:15,215 we are training enough submariners to 207 00:10:15,224 --> 00:10:17,502 operate these submarines in the future . 208 00:10:17,502 --> 00:10:20,184 And we have Australian submariners uh 209 00:10:20,195 --> 00:10:22,139 at the Nuclear Power School in the 210 00:10:22,139 --> 00:10:24,875 United States being trained here in the 211 00:10:24,885 --> 00:10:27,104 United Kingdom , operating on astute 212 00:10:27,114 --> 00:10:28,892 class submarines , operating on 213 00:10:28,892 --> 00:10:32,179 Virginia class submarines . We have uh 214 00:10:32,190 --> 00:10:34,700 Australian defense industry workers 215 00:10:34,710 --> 00:10:37,530 from a sc who are , who are right now 216 00:10:37,539 --> 00:10:40,229 uh gaining skills working in Pearl 217 00:10:40,239 --> 00:10:42,461 Harbor and the numbers in each of those 218 00:10:42,469 --> 00:10:45,619 areas stand to increase . Australia is 219 00:10:45,630 --> 00:10:48,609 funding 4000 additional university 220 00:10:48,619 --> 00:10:51,599 places across our university system in 221 00:10:51,609 --> 00:10:53,831 August disciplines to make sure that we 222 00:10:53,831 --> 00:10:56,159 are building the skills that are needed 223 00:10:56,190 --> 00:10:59,380 to deliver this project . In respect of 224 00:10:59,390 --> 00:11:01,690 August pillar two . We've also seen 225 00:11:01,700 --> 00:11:04,440 really significant developments when we 226 00:11:04,450 --> 00:11:07,460 met in California last year , we said 227 00:11:07,469 --> 00:11:09,849 that our three innovation systems would 228 00:11:09,859 --> 00:11:12,440 put out an innovation challenge in 229 00:11:12,450 --> 00:11:14,909 relation to electronic warfare . And 230 00:11:14,919 --> 00:11:17,299 today we are announcing the winners of 231 00:11:17,309 --> 00:11:19,690 that challenge uh which in respect of 232 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:22,090 Australia are a Nova technologies in 233 00:11:22,099 --> 00:11:24,469 South Australia , Penton , a company in 234 00:11:24,479 --> 00:11:27,320 the AC T and advanced design technology , 235 00:11:27,340 --> 00:11:29,284 another company in the AC T and we 236 00:11:29,284 --> 00:11:31,340 certainly congratulate each of those 237 00:11:31,340 --> 00:11:33,284 companies on their success in this 238 00:11:33,284 --> 00:11:36,369 innovation challenge . We've also 239 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:40,099 worked on developing classified 240 00:11:40,260 --> 00:11:44,130 advanced algorithms for the use of A I 241 00:11:44,140 --> 00:11:47,179 in terms of processing the vast amounts 242 00:11:47,190 --> 00:11:50,489 of data which are picked up by our 243 00:11:50,500 --> 00:11:53,650 Sonar boys , which collectively will 244 00:11:53,659 --> 00:11:56,390 greatly enhance our decision making 245 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,419 advantage in the undersea domain . And 246 00:11:59,429 --> 00:12:01,669 again , right there is work which we 247 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:03,957 are doing now , which is happening now , 248 00:12:03,957 --> 00:12:06,440 which is increasing our military 249 00:12:06,450 --> 00:12:08,289 capabilities , which is putting 250 00:12:08,409 --> 00:12:11,229 advantage into the war fighters hands . 251 00:12:12,130 --> 00:12:15,760 All of this is a demonstration that Aus 252 00:12:15,979 --> 00:12:18,840 is happening and it is happening at a 253 00:12:18,849 --> 00:12:22,770 pace . And today our conversations have 254 00:12:22,780 --> 00:12:26,780 been Frank . Uh this is the third 255 00:12:26,789 --> 00:12:28,830 occasion on which I have been at a 256 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:30,840 defense ministers meeting of August 257 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:32,840 with Lloyd . It's the first uh with 258 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,539 John and it is great to have John uh as 259 00:12:35,549 --> 00:12:38,059 part of this team . And there is very 260 00:12:38,070 --> 00:12:41,059 much a sense of team as we meet to 261 00:12:41,070 --> 00:12:43,270 discuss this project going forward . I 262 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,178 think it's fair to say that the 263 00:12:45,178 --> 00:12:47,320 personal report and friendship which 264 00:12:47,330 --> 00:12:49,969 exists amongst the three of us up here 265 00:12:50,099 --> 00:12:52,869 is emblematic of the closeness of the 266 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,229 relationship between our three nations 267 00:12:55,330 --> 00:12:57,539 which is now being embodied each and 268 00:12:57,549 --> 00:12:59,716 every day in a much deeper way through 269 00:12:59,716 --> 00:13:00,716 August . 270 00:13:04,700 --> 00:13:06,969 Thanks John . Let me , let me start by 271 00:13:06,979 --> 00:13:10,700 thanking Deputy Prime Minister Marles 272 00:13:10,710 --> 00:13:13,869 and Secretary of State Healy Richard 273 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,559 John . It's great to see you both . I 274 00:13:16,570 --> 00:13:19,179 think our strong relationship makes 275 00:13:19,190 --> 00:13:21,330 working on complex issues like this . 276 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,630 Uh a bit easier . I'm delighted to 277 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,229 be here in London for our 3rd August 278 00:13:29,140 --> 00:13:32,070 defense ministerial meeting . We've had 279 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,750 some very productive discussions today . 280 00:13:35,890 --> 00:13:38,750 But before I turn to them , I'd like to 281 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,650 take just a few moments to discuss the 282 00:13:41,659 --> 00:13:45,070 crisis between Israel and Hezbollah . 283 00:13:46,659 --> 00:13:48,770 The situation in Lebanon and northern 284 00:13:48,770 --> 00:13:50,440 Israel is deeply troubling 285 00:13:52,109 --> 00:13:55,059 Lebanese Hezbollah , an Iranian backed 286 00:13:55,070 --> 00:13:58,690 terrorist group began firing rockets 287 00:13:59,239 --> 00:14:03,190 into Israel unprovoked on the day after 288 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,080 the October 7th terrorist assault by 289 00:14:06,090 --> 00:14:09,979 Hamas in Hezbollah has 290 00:14:09,989 --> 00:14:13,460 not stopped since . And like any other 291 00:14:13,469 --> 00:14:15,525 state , Israel has a right to defend 292 00:14:15,525 --> 00:14:19,469 itself . And almost a year later , tens 293 00:14:19,479 --> 00:14:21,880 of thousands of Israeli and Lebanese 294 00:14:21,890 --> 00:14:25,000 civilians still cannot 295 00:14:25,330 --> 00:14:27,000 safely return home 296 00:14:29,590 --> 00:14:32,280 and we now face the risk of an all out 297 00:14:32,289 --> 00:14:35,820 war . Another full scale 298 00:14:35,830 --> 00:14:38,179 war could be devastating for both 299 00:14:38,190 --> 00:14:42,049 Israel and Lebanon . So let me be clear , 300 00:14:43,809 --> 00:14:46,260 Israel and Lebanon can choose a 301 00:14:46,270 --> 00:14:50,200 different path . Despite the sharp 302 00:14:50,210 --> 00:14:51,877 escalation in recent days , a 303 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,229 diplomatic solution is still viable , 304 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,150 a diplomatic solution . Not a military 305 00:15:00,159 --> 00:15:03,780 solution is the only way to ensure that 306 00:15:03,789 --> 00:15:06,049 displaced civilians on both sides of 307 00:15:06,059 --> 00:15:09,070 the border can finally go back home . 308 00:15:10,299 --> 00:15:12,909 So I echo the call of President Biden 309 00:15:12,919 --> 00:15:16,770 and President Macron and other leaders 310 00:15:16,780 --> 00:15:19,640 yesterday for an immediate 21 day 311 00:15:19,650 --> 00:15:23,229 ceasefire and that will provide time 312 00:15:23,239 --> 00:15:26,719 for the diplomacy needed to achieve a 313 00:15:26,729 --> 00:15:29,049 durable arrangement that will allow 314 00:15:29,070 --> 00:15:31,859 Israel and Lebanese civilians , Israeli 315 00:15:31,869 --> 00:15:35,150 and Lebanese civilians to return safely 316 00:15:35,159 --> 00:15:38,919 to their homes . This time can also be 317 00:15:38,929 --> 00:15:42,619 used to conclude and implement a deal 318 00:15:42,630 --> 00:15:46,070 to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and to 319 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,090 bring all of the hostages home . 320 00:15:50,049 --> 00:15:52,609 All parties should seize this 321 00:15:52,619 --> 00:15:56,190 opportunity . It can bring much needed 322 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:58,190 calm to Israelis , 323 00:15:59,429 --> 00:16:02,729 Lebanese and Palestinians whose lives 324 00:16:02,739 --> 00:16:05,400 have been turned upside down since the 325 00:16:05,409 --> 00:16:07,580 Hamas assault on October 7th 326 00:16:09,580 --> 00:16:12,630 and make no mistake . The United States 327 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:16,250 remains postured to protect our forces 328 00:16:16,260 --> 00:16:18,289 and our personnel across the Middle 329 00:16:18,299 --> 00:16:22,059 East and no one should 330 00:16:22,070 --> 00:16:25,599 try to exploit this crisis , expand 331 00:16:25,609 --> 00:16:29,130 this conflict . So we will continue to 332 00:16:29,140 --> 00:16:31,929 work tirelessly to avoid another tragic 333 00:16:31,940 --> 00:16:35,559 war and to find a diplomatic path 334 00:16:35,570 --> 00:16:39,520 forward . And with that , let me 335 00:16:39,530 --> 00:16:42,619 turn back to today's August agenda . 336 00:16:44,479 --> 00:16:46,368 Together , we have reaffirmed the 337 00:16:46,368 --> 00:16:48,780 extraordinary strength of our ACAS 338 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:52,440 partnership and we showed our 339 00:16:52,450 --> 00:16:55,679 shared vision for an open , free , 340 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:59,440 secure and prosperous Indo Pacific . 341 00:17:00,950 --> 00:17:04,670 Our three proud democracies share a 342 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,060 deep and binding belief in the rules 343 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:10,750 based international order in a system 344 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,568 that respects human rights , oppose the 345 00:17:14,578 --> 00:17:18,180 rule of law and insists that 346 00:17:18,189 --> 00:17:20,260 disputes be resolved peacefully . 347 00:17:22,010 --> 00:17:24,599 We also understand that we are stronger 348 00:17:25,458 --> 00:17:29,250 together and that's the lens that we 349 00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:33,170 all used again today together . 350 00:17:33,180 --> 00:17:35,890 We reaffirm that ACA offers a unique 351 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:38,859 opportunity for our three countries to 352 00:17:38,869 --> 00:17:42,689 enhance our military capabilities and 353 00:17:42,699 --> 00:17:46,020 to deepen our interoperability and to 354 00:17:46,030 --> 00:17:47,919 strengthen deterrence in the Indo 355 00:17:48,099 --> 00:17:51,079 Pacific . Today , we reviewed our 356 00:17:51,089 --> 00:17:54,619 progress on pillar one toward providing 357 00:17:54,630 --> 00:17:58,000 Australia with a conventionally armed 358 00:17:58,719 --> 00:18:00,790 and nuclear powered submarine 359 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,089 capability while upholding the highest 360 00:18:04,099 --> 00:18:06,890 standards of non proliferation . 361 00:18:08,430 --> 00:18:10,486 And I want to thank the sailors from 362 00:18:10,486 --> 00:18:12,708 all three of our navies who are working 363 00:18:12,708 --> 00:18:15,510 tirelessly to ensure that we succeed . 364 00:18:17,589 --> 00:18:19,700 Over the past year , we increased the 365 00:18:19,700 --> 00:18:22,069 number of officers and sailors from the 366 00:18:22,079 --> 00:18:25,280 Royal Australian Navy attending us and 367 00:18:25,290 --> 00:18:27,420 British submarine nuclear reactor 368 00:18:27,430 --> 00:18:31,170 schools and us and A and 369 00:18:31,180 --> 00:18:33,119 Australian sailors along with UK 370 00:18:33,130 --> 00:18:36,290 observers recently conducted 371 00:18:36,449 --> 00:18:39,010 maintenance together on a US submarine 372 00:18:39,020 --> 00:18:42,569 visiting Australia . This was just the 373 00:18:42,579 --> 00:18:45,260 first step toward ensuring that 374 00:18:45,270 --> 00:18:48,170 Australia has a sovereign nuclear 375 00:18:48,180 --> 00:18:50,430 powered submarine capability . 376 00:18:52,099 --> 00:18:54,099 We're also making progress progress 377 00:18:54,099 --> 00:18:56,810 towards having a rotational presence of 378 00:18:56,819 --> 00:19:00,239 us submarines . By as early as 379 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:04,000 2027 both will help to 380 00:19:04,010 --> 00:19:07,069 enhance security and stability across 381 00:19:07,079 --> 00:19:10,390 the Indo Pacific region . The United 382 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,310 States also remains committed to 383 00:19:12,319 --> 00:19:14,208 supporting Australia's efforts to 384 00:19:14,208 --> 00:19:16,849 recruit and train the skilled workforce 385 00:19:16,859 --> 00:19:20,329 needed to build , maintain and sustain 386 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,619 and operate a nuclear powered submarine . 387 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,859 And we applaud the signature of the 388 00:19:27,869 --> 00:19:30,349 recent trilateral agreement that will 389 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,839 allow for the transfer of naval nuclear 390 00:19:33,849 --> 00:19:36,989 propulsion equipment and material among 391 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,790 Octus partners and it enhances the 392 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,199 close co-operation already underway to 393 00:19:43,209 --> 00:19:45,359 integrate our industrial base . 394 00:19:47,250 --> 00:19:49,800 And over the next year , our navies 395 00:19:49,810 --> 00:19:51,588 will seek more opportunities to 396 00:19:51,588 --> 00:19:54,750 integrate our industrial base and we'll 397 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,199 build more resilience across our supply 398 00:19:57,209 --> 00:20:01,069 chains . We also got a lot done 399 00:20:01,079 --> 00:20:04,579 on pillar two of August which focuses 400 00:20:04,589 --> 00:20:08,430 on getting new advanced capabilities 401 00:20:08,439 --> 00:20:11,589 to our war fighters . We're working 402 00:20:11,599 --> 00:20:13,160 together to identify common 403 00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:15,729 requirements and to meet them with the 404 00:20:15,739 --> 00:20:18,729 most capable tech and that's critical 405 00:20:18,739 --> 00:20:22,030 to building an even more capable 406 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,000 combined force . And over this past 407 00:20:25,010 --> 00:20:27,232 year , we conducted several significant 408 00:20:27,232 --> 00:20:30,140 demonstrations and experiments across 409 00:20:30,150 --> 00:20:34,040 the ground under sea and along the 410 00:20:34,050 --> 00:20:37,459 electromagnetic spectrum and taken 411 00:20:37,469 --> 00:20:40,560 together all this progress will 412 00:20:40,569 --> 00:20:42,791 increase decision advantage for our war 413 00:20:42,791 --> 00:20:45,410 fighters . And we are excited to 414 00:20:45,420 --> 00:20:48,189 quickly feel these new , these advanced 415 00:20:48,199 --> 00:20:51,390 technologies across our forces . Our 416 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,349 acquisition teams are driving 417 00:20:53,689 --> 00:20:55,800 integration throughout our industrial 418 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,609 base and our innovation ecosystems . 419 00:20:59,660 --> 00:21:01,882 This will maximize our combined ability 420 00:21:01,882 --> 00:21:04,839 to develop , produce and sustain these 421 00:21:04,849 --> 00:21:06,839 capabilities together . 422 00:21:08,780 --> 00:21:10,947 You know , earlier this year , we held 423 00:21:10,947 --> 00:21:12,947 the first trilateral aus innovation 424 00:21:12,947 --> 00:21:15,819 challenge . It focused on electronic 425 00:21:15,829 --> 00:21:19,540 warfare targeting and 426 00:21:19,550 --> 00:21:22,660 protection and leading companies from 427 00:21:22,670 --> 00:21:25,670 all three countries offered solutions 428 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,560 to these complex challenges . Our 429 00:21:28,569 --> 00:21:30,770 defense Innovation Unit selected 430 00:21:30,869 --> 00:21:33,000 Distributed Spectrum , a vendor based 431 00:21:33,010 --> 00:21:36,180 in New York City . It is , it is 432 00:21:36,189 --> 00:21:38,180 posture to provide critical 433 00:21:38,189 --> 00:21:41,000 capabilities which will strengthen Aus 434 00:21:41,989 --> 00:21:44,100 and that reminds us of the importance 435 00:21:44,100 --> 00:21:46,680 of working with industry and all that 436 00:21:46,689 --> 00:21:50,069 it has to offer under August . We 437 00:21:50,079 --> 00:21:52,880 intend to do more of that . Our aus 438 00:21:53,050 --> 00:21:54,939 innovation leads are developing a 439 00:21:54,939 --> 00:21:57,760 robust twoyear agenda for further work 440 00:21:57,770 --> 00:22:01,199 with industry . Thanks to Aus , our 441 00:22:01,209 --> 00:22:03,630 three militaries are operating together 442 00:22:04,089 --> 00:22:07,930 more closely and capably than 443 00:22:07,939 --> 00:22:10,880 ever before . So Richard and John , 444 00:22:10,890 --> 00:22:13,599 thanks for your leadership and thanks 445 00:22:13,609 --> 00:22:15,880 for your commitment to security in the 446 00:22:15,890 --> 00:22:19,079 Indo Pacific . As you both said , we 447 00:22:19,089 --> 00:22:21,989 got a lot done today and I look forward 448 00:22:22,510 --> 00:22:25,069 to doing even more in the days ahead . 449 00:22:25,079 --> 00:22:27,660 Thank you very much . Thank you , Lloyd . 450 00:22:27,670 --> 00:22:29,892 Thank you , Richard . Right . I'm gonna 451 00:22:29,892 --> 00:22:32,729 ask three jour six journalists now if 452 00:22:32,739 --> 00:22:35,699 they'd like to pose a question to us , 453 00:22:35,709 --> 00:22:37,931 and I'm going to start with Johnny Beal 454 00:22:37,931 --> 00:22:38,931 of the BBC , 455 00:22:42,170 --> 00:22:44,114 Mister Secretary Austin's comments 456 00:22:44,114 --> 00:22:46,750 about Lebanon just there . You did say 457 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,670 deliberately , I think Israel can 458 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,900 choose a diplomatic path . Now , 459 00:22:51,910 --> 00:22:55,060 Israel you have said should be part of 460 00:22:55,069 --> 00:22:57,069 that ceasefire you want yet ? We've 461 00:22:57,069 --> 00:22:59,449 heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu 462 00:22:59,459 --> 00:23:03,339 today directing his own forces to 463 00:23:03,349 --> 00:23:06,430 continue the fight with full force . So 464 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:08,579 are you worried that he is ignoring 465 00:23:08,589 --> 00:23:11,829 your appeals for a ceasefire also ? Is 466 00:23:11,839 --> 00:23:14,619 there a limit to us military support 467 00:23:14,630 --> 00:23:16,852 for Israel ? We haven't seen any limits 468 00:23:16,852 --> 00:23:18,908 so far . You're still supplying them 469 00:23:18,908 --> 00:23:21,019 with arms . But are there red lines ? 470 00:23:21,019 --> 00:23:23,186 For example , if Israel chose to carry 471 00:23:23,186 --> 00:23:26,900 out a ground invasion into Lebanon , is 472 00:23:26,910 --> 00:23:30,099 that a red line for you ? Um And then 473 00:23:30,109 --> 00:23:31,942 I'd like to ask , um our defense 474 00:23:31,942 --> 00:23:34,930 secretary , are you worried about what 475 00:23:35,869 --> 00:23:38,036 Benjamin Netanyahu has said today ? He 476 00:23:38,036 --> 00:23:40,420 seems to be ignoring those calls for a 477 00:23:40,430 --> 00:23:43,079 ceasefire which you back and is 478 00:23:43,089 --> 00:23:45,099 directing his forces as he says to 479 00:23:45,109 --> 00:23:47,239 continue the fight with full force ? 480 00:23:47,599 --> 00:23:51,469 Are you any nearer to those ? You put 481 00:23:51,479 --> 00:23:53,609 700 British troops into Cyprus along 482 00:23:53,619 --> 00:23:55,563 with more us assets going into the 483 00:23:55,563 --> 00:23:58,449 region as well ? Are you any nearer to 484 00:23:58,459 --> 00:24:00,459 that position where you're going to 485 00:24:00,459 --> 00:24:03,880 have to activate an evacuation , a 486 00:24:03,890 --> 00:24:06,209 military evacuation of British citizens 487 00:24:06,219 --> 00:24:08,275 in the country because many say they 488 00:24:08,275 --> 00:24:10,497 can't get flights out . And I would ask 489 00:24:10,497 --> 00:24:12,552 that the Deputy Prime Minister , you 490 00:24:12,552 --> 00:24:15,489 have Australian citizens in Lebanon . 491 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:18,109 What are you doing about getting them 492 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:20,175 out safely ? And are you going to be 493 00:24:20,175 --> 00:24:22,119 part of some military evacuation ? 494 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,949 Thank you very much , sir , Lloyd . Do 495 00:24:25,959 --> 00:24:27,848 you want to have first crack at ? 496 00:24:27,848 --> 00:24:31,630 Thanks John . Thanks for the question 497 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,500 John . Um 498 00:24:35,229 --> 00:24:37,699 Israel has stated that its goal is to 499 00:24:37,709 --> 00:24:41,199 return its citizens to their homes in 500 00:24:41,209 --> 00:24:43,709 the north . And 501 00:24:45,349 --> 00:24:48,449 I believe the best and the quickest way 502 00:24:48,459 --> 00:24:52,020 to do that is through diplomacy . Uh 503 00:24:52,030 --> 00:24:54,239 And I think that , I mean , there's no 504 00:24:54,250 --> 00:24:57,790 question that both Israel and Lebanese 505 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,380 Hezbollah has state have stated that 506 00:25:00,390 --> 00:25:02,668 they do not want to see an all out war , 507 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:06,760 a war between uh LH and and 508 00:25:06,770 --> 00:25:10,250 Israel uh could be devastating for both , 509 00:25:10,260 --> 00:25:14,050 for both entities . And so we believe 510 00:25:14,060 --> 00:25:17,829 that the best thing that uh um that can 511 00:25:17,839 --> 00:25:21,430 happen is that , you know , we agreed 512 00:25:21,439 --> 00:25:23,383 to a cease fire or the two parties 513 00:25:23,383 --> 00:25:25,217 agreed to a cease fire and allow 514 00:25:25,217 --> 00:25:28,430 diplomacy uh to take place . Uh And uh 515 00:25:28,439 --> 00:25:30,810 and again , we have been in constant 516 00:25:30,819 --> 00:25:33,270 dialogue with uh with our counterparts 517 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,739 in , in Israel , as you probably know , 518 00:25:35,750 --> 00:25:38,670 I've talked to uh to my counterpart uh 519 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,300 frequently and uh of 520 00:25:42,310 --> 00:25:45,010 course , I encourage them to uh pursue 521 00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:47,989 diplomacy every step of the way um 522 00:25:48,930 --> 00:25:51,479 in terms of any limits that we would 523 00:25:51,489 --> 00:25:54,989 place on uh on Israel . We've been 524 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,670 committed from the very beginning to uh 525 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:00,430 help Israel and 526 00:26:02,479 --> 00:26:04,849 provide the things that are necessary 527 00:26:04,859 --> 00:26:06,915 for them to be able to protect their 528 00:26:06,915 --> 00:26:09,319 sovereign territory and that hasn't 529 00:26:09,329 --> 00:26:11,607 changed and won't change in the future . 530 00:26:14,079 --> 00:26:16,400 Thank you the evening , the calls at 531 00:26:16,410 --> 00:26:20,160 the United Nations at this time 532 00:26:20,170 --> 00:26:23,680 this week , led by President Biden by 533 00:26:23,689 --> 00:26:25,856 Prime Minister Starmer and a number of 534 00:26:25,856 --> 00:26:28,439 other nations for this 21 day ceasefire . 535 00:26:28,449 --> 00:26:30,760 Unprecedented calls together at the 536 00:26:30,770 --> 00:26:33,689 United Nations offer 537 00:26:34,829 --> 00:26:37,869 it pours in the fighting as Secretary 538 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,609 Austin has said and the chance to see 539 00:26:40,619 --> 00:26:44,459 negotiations , there is a way 540 00:26:44,469 --> 00:26:47,400 that Israel can see thousands of 541 00:26:47,410 --> 00:26:49,354 displaced citizens return to their 542 00:26:49,354 --> 00:26:51,459 homes in northern Israel and those 543 00:26:51,469 --> 00:26:55,160 Lebanese can return to their homes as 544 00:26:55,170 --> 00:26:57,489 well . And that's the American led 545 00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:01,209 Hochstein plan . The Israelis have said 546 00:27:02,489 --> 00:27:05,719 they're prepared to accept that . And I 547 00:27:06,270 --> 00:27:10,150 urge Prime Minister Netanyahu 548 00:27:11,010 --> 00:27:13,859 and the Lebanese Hezbollah leaders 549 00:27:14,829 --> 00:27:18,670 to pay heed to the combined 550 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:22,489 voices at the United Nations to do just 551 00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:26,280 that 21 days a ceasefire where talks 552 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:30,189 can start and the fighting can end and 553 00:27:30,199 --> 00:27:32,849 the chance of a longer term settlement 554 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,319 may emerge on the question of the 555 00:27:37,439 --> 00:27:41,410 British nationals in Lebanon . This 556 00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:45,089 is our first concern , their safety . 557 00:27:45,959 --> 00:27:48,459 It is the first duty of a government is 558 00:27:48,469 --> 00:27:52,030 to look after the interests of its 559 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,630 nationals . Our 560 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,640 advice , Lebanon has not changed in 561 00:27:59,650 --> 00:28:01,817 recent days . It has been the same for 562 00:28:01,817 --> 00:28:04,910 weeks . Do not go to Lebanon and if you 563 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,000 are in Lebanon , then leave and there 564 00:28:08,010 --> 00:28:09,920 are at present commercial flights 565 00:28:10,130 --> 00:28:13,530 leaving Lebanon , but any sensible 566 00:28:13,540 --> 00:28:16,530 government must make preparations for 567 00:28:16,540 --> 00:28:18,680 future developments . So I left the 568 00:28:18,979 --> 00:28:21,312 Labour Party Conference early this week . 569 00:28:21,510 --> 00:28:24,219 On Tuesday morning , I chaired a 570 00:28:24,229 --> 00:28:26,560 meeting of Cobra officials that 571 00:28:26,569 --> 00:28:30,099 afternoon to ensure that if we see 572 00:28:30,109 --> 00:28:33,579 rapid developments in Lebanon , then 573 00:28:34,530 --> 00:28:37,770 Britain with allies is ready to respond . 574 00:28:38,060 --> 00:28:40,089 And in the last 24 hours , we have 575 00:28:40,420 --> 00:28:43,150 flown 700 UK military personnel to 576 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:46,550 Cyprus . They stand ready to act should 577 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:48,599 they be needed at short notice ? 578 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,239 Uh Well , firstly , uh Australia has 579 00:28:53,250 --> 00:28:57,060 added its voice uh along with uh the US , 580 00:28:57,069 --> 00:29:00,500 the UK and other countries for a 581 00:29:00,510 --> 00:29:04,300 call for a 21 day ceasefire to 582 00:29:04,310 --> 00:29:06,619 enable diplomacy to have the 583 00:29:06,630 --> 00:29:10,099 opportunity to establish a 584 00:29:10,109 --> 00:29:13,459 uh longer-term peace on the 585 00:29:13,469 --> 00:29:17,400 Israeli Lebanon border . Uh There 586 00:29:17,410 --> 00:29:19,632 are a significant number of Australians 587 00:29:19,632 --> 00:29:22,150 who are Australian citizens who are in 588 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,569 Lebanon . Uh And we have been very 589 00:29:25,579 --> 00:29:27,510 mindful of that population of 590 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:29,949 Australian citizens in LA in Lebanon . 591 00:29:30,199 --> 00:29:34,189 Uh really since this uh conflict began , 592 00:29:34,839 --> 00:29:38,099 uh we do have in place um 593 00:29:38,109 --> 00:29:41,640 plans and preparations in respect of a 594 00:29:41,650 --> 00:29:44,540 range of scenarios and we stand ready 595 00:29:44,550 --> 00:29:46,819 to activate those preparations . But 596 00:29:46,829 --> 00:29:49,770 the most important thing that can be 597 00:29:49,780 --> 00:29:52,839 said right now uh is to echo what John 598 00:29:52,849 --> 00:29:55,369 has said and that is that Australians 599 00:29:55,380 --> 00:29:58,020 who are in Lebanon now , this is the 600 00:29:58,030 --> 00:30:01,150 time to leave . Don't wait . Uh take 601 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:04,290 the opportunity to leave while you can . 602 00:30:04,459 --> 00:30:08,209 Uh the the the quickest way to get to 603 00:30:08,219 --> 00:30:11,859 safety is to take steps as we speak . 604 00:30:12,119 --> 00:30:14,239 Uh And for those thinking of going to 605 00:30:14,250 --> 00:30:17,380 Lebanon don't go . Uh It is really 606 00:30:17,390 --> 00:30:19,869 important that people use this moment . 607 00:30:20,170 --> 00:30:23,660 Uh And we are speaking as loudly as we 608 00:30:23,670 --> 00:30:25,660 can uh to the more than 10,000 609 00:30:25,670 --> 00:30:27,837 Australian citizens who are in Lebanon 610 00:30:27,837 --> 00:30:31,089 now is the time to leave . Thank you . 611 00:30:31,099 --> 00:30:33,432 Can I move to Bridget Wallison , please ? 612 00:30:33,432 --> 00:30:36,050 ABC . Thank you . Um Secretary Austin , 613 00:30:36,060 --> 00:30:38,060 as the Deputy Prime Minister said , 614 00:30:38,060 --> 00:30:40,227 Australia has thousands of citizens in 615 00:30:40,227 --> 00:30:42,338 Lebanon . Given the close partnership 616 00:30:42,338 --> 00:30:44,393 that we've seen evident today . Will 617 00:30:44,393 --> 00:30:46,560 the US . Um has there been discussions 618 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,616 about how the US could possibly help 619 00:30:48,616 --> 00:30:50,838 Australia in getting these citizens out 620 00:30:50,838 --> 00:30:53,510 safely ? Bridget , there's a bit of an 621 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,409 echo . So I couldn't , I couldn't 622 00:30:55,409 --> 00:30:57,631 understand the question completely . If 623 00:30:57,631 --> 00:30:59,853 you could move your mic a little closer 624 00:30:59,853 --> 00:31:02,131 maybe and speak up a little bit . Sure . 625 00:31:02,131 --> 00:31:04,187 I was just wondering if there's been 626 00:31:04,187 --> 00:31:06,242 any discussions about how the US can 627 00:31:06,242 --> 00:31:08,298 help Australia get their citizens in 628 00:31:08,298 --> 00:31:10,020 Lebanon out safely . Given the 629 00:31:10,020 --> 00:31:11,909 partnership we've seen on display 630 00:31:11,909 --> 00:31:13,742 evident here , how we would help 631 00:31:13,742 --> 00:31:15,853 Australia leave Lebanon . Is that the 632 00:31:15,853 --> 00:31:18,869 question correct ? Um Australia is a 633 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,430 valued ally and certainly we don't 634 00:31:21,439 --> 00:31:25,089 wanna um engage in any hypotheticals . 635 00:31:25,099 --> 00:31:27,321 Uh at , at this point as you've heard , 636 00:31:27,321 --> 00:31:29,780 uh the Deputy Prime Minister say , uh 637 00:31:30,300 --> 00:31:32,630 you know , he is doing things to 638 00:31:32,770 --> 00:31:35,199 continue to plan and put means in place 639 00:31:35,209 --> 00:31:37,949 to be able to offer options uh to the 640 00:31:37,959 --> 00:31:39,959 Australian leadership . If uh if it 641 00:31:39,959 --> 00:31:43,219 comes to that , uh we do the same thing . 642 00:31:43,229 --> 00:31:45,609 And as you heard , uh Secretary Healy 643 00:31:45,619 --> 00:31:48,359 say he is doing the same thing . Uh And , 644 00:31:48,369 --> 00:31:52,280 and we , we are close allies . We 645 00:31:52,290 --> 00:31:55,079 will always endeavor to uh to help each 646 00:31:55,089 --> 00:31:57,910 other when and if that time comes . But 647 00:31:57,920 --> 00:31:59,809 again , that hadn't , that hadn't 648 00:31:59,809 --> 00:32:02,150 presented itself yet . But Australia 649 00:32:02,199 --> 00:32:05,020 and the UK , I would hope that they 650 00:32:05,030 --> 00:32:07,141 would feel that they can always count 651 00:32:07,141 --> 00:32:09,030 on the United States of America . 652 00:32:09,030 --> 00:32:11,086 Perhaps I might just respond and say 653 00:32:11,086 --> 00:32:13,252 there's not been any request obviously 654 00:32:13,252 --> 00:32:16,180 of uh uh the UK or the United States . 655 00:32:16,189 --> 00:32:19,130 Uh I mean , right now , we are talking 656 00:32:19,140 --> 00:32:21,719 about a hypothetical but the most 657 00:32:21,729 --> 00:32:24,900 important message for people today , uh 658 00:32:24,910 --> 00:32:26,930 and Australian citizens in Lebanon 659 00:32:26,939 --> 00:32:28,939 today is to leave . That's the most 660 00:32:28,949 --> 00:32:31,060 important step that people can take . 661 00:32:31,060 --> 00:32:33,290 Uh But as Lloyd said , we in our 662 00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:35,670 preparations for a range of scenarios 663 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,709 work really closely with uh both the US 664 00:32:38,719 --> 00:32:40,663 and the UK . There is a history of 665 00:32:40,663 --> 00:32:42,663 Cooper operation uh which goes back 666 00:32:42,663 --> 00:32:45,880 decades . Um We have seen scenarios in 667 00:32:45,890 --> 00:32:49,459 Lebanon previously uh over the last two 668 00:32:49,469 --> 00:32:51,719 decades . Uh and they still remain 669 00:32:51,729 --> 00:32:54,839 fresh in our minds . Uh But the , the , 670 00:32:54,849 --> 00:32:56,793 the most important step uh in , in 671 00:32:56,793 --> 00:32:59,219 relation to all of this as we speak is 672 00:32:59,229 --> 00:33:01,229 for Australians in Lebanon to leave 673 00:33:01,229 --> 00:33:04,819 today right now . Thank you , Haley 674 00:33:04,839 --> 00:33:07,800 Brisky CNN . Thank you so much , 675 00:33:08,060 --> 00:33:10,579 Secretary Austin . You've spoken with 676 00:33:10,589 --> 00:33:12,880 your Israeli counterpart multiple times 677 00:33:12,890 --> 00:33:15,119 in the last week . Given Prime Minister 678 00:33:15,130 --> 00:33:17,349 Netanyahu's comments today . Do you 679 00:33:17,359 --> 00:33:19,581 have confidence that Israeli leadership 680 00:33:19,581 --> 00:33:21,803 is listening to the US when it comes to 681 00:33:21,803 --> 00:33:23,829 this conflict with Hezbollah and 682 00:33:23,839 --> 00:33:26,060 Secretary Healy for you ? Uh Can you 683 00:33:26,069 --> 00:33:28,949 speak about any detailed conversations 684 00:33:28,959 --> 00:33:30,792 between you and Secretary Austin 685 00:33:30,792 --> 00:33:33,380 regarding uh lifting the ban on Ukraine 686 00:33:33,479 --> 00:33:36,030 using storm shadow missiles to strike 687 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,262 deeper inside of Russia ? And is the UK 688 00:33:38,262 --> 00:33:40,373 prepared to move forward and allowing 689 00:33:40,373 --> 00:33:42,429 Ukraine to do this without the US if 690 00:33:42,429 --> 00:33:46,180 the US does not give approval ? Uh 691 00:33:46,189 --> 00:33:49,819 Thanks Hailey , you heard me say a 692 00:33:49,829 --> 00:33:53,579 couple of seconds ago that a full scale 693 00:33:53,589 --> 00:33:57,420 war between uh LH and uh and Israel 694 00:33:57,729 --> 00:34:00,430 could be devastating for , for both uh 695 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,699 both parties and it could lead to a 696 00:34:03,709 --> 00:34:06,550 larger uh conflict uh throughout the 697 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:10,350 region . So , um that's not in the 698 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:13,550 best interest of , of , of anyone . And 699 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:17,360 the best way forward is uh is 700 00:34:17,370 --> 00:34:21,320 to pursue a cease fire that will enable 701 00:34:21,330 --> 00:34:24,409 diplomacy to take place again . I know 702 00:34:24,419 --> 00:34:27,719 that our diplomats continue to engage 703 00:34:27,729 --> 00:34:30,040 each other on this issue . Uh I am 704 00:34:30,050 --> 00:34:32,383 confident that they'll continue to , to , 705 00:34:32,383 --> 00:34:36,000 to find a way to uh uh to do just that 706 00:34:36,010 --> 00:34:38,121 uh you know , get to a point where we 707 00:34:38,121 --> 00:34:41,618 can , we can see a cease fire and still 708 00:34:41,628 --> 00:34:44,089 work towards a diplomatic solution . 709 00:34:44,489 --> 00:34:46,999 But this is , we recognize that there's 710 00:34:47,009 --> 00:34:49,231 hard work to be done . We are committed 711 00:34:49,231 --> 00:34:51,688 to doing that work and yes , I am 712 00:34:51,698 --> 00:34:53,918 optimistic that uh that the right 713 00:34:53,928 --> 00:34:55,095 things will happen . 714 00:34:57,510 --> 00:34:59,919 Haley . We , we've been a government 715 00:34:59,929 --> 00:35:02,370 now in , in the UK for 10 weeks . Uh , 716 00:35:02,379 --> 00:35:04,379 in that time , we've stepped up the 717 00:35:04,379 --> 00:35:07,939 military aid that we've uh providing to 718 00:35:07,949 --> 00:35:10,116 Ukraine . We've sped up the deliveries 719 00:35:10,116 --> 00:35:12,171 of the aid that have previously been 720 00:35:12,171 --> 00:35:14,393 pledged . We've struck a new industrial 721 00:35:14,393 --> 00:35:17,129 treaty with Ukraine so that we can not 722 00:35:17,139 --> 00:35:20,139 only provide what they need now , but 723 00:35:20,149 --> 00:35:22,709 we can produce what they need in future . 724 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:26,300 And the main focus for the discussions 725 00:35:26,310 --> 00:35:28,379 between Secretary Austin and I this 726 00:35:28,389 --> 00:35:32,379 morning over Ukraine were how 727 00:35:32,389 --> 00:35:36,050 we get behind the victory 728 00:35:36,060 --> 00:35:38,149 plan that President Zelensky has 729 00:35:38,159 --> 00:35:41,729 presented in the US this week 730 00:35:42,479 --> 00:35:45,179 and how we can reinforce the Ukrainians 731 00:35:45,189 --> 00:35:48,560 position in the months ahead uh 732 00:35:49,129 --> 00:35:53,050 in the face of a continuing 733 00:35:53,429 --> 00:35:57,370 onslaught from the Russians on the 734 00:35:57,379 --> 00:36:01,179 eastern border . And in the end , we 735 00:36:01,189 --> 00:36:03,879 are talking about resolution of 736 00:36:03,889 --> 00:36:07,790 conflict and ceasefire in the Middle 737 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,580 East . Putin could end the 738 00:36:11,590 --> 00:36:14,790 war in Ukraine today if he pulls back 739 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,040 his troops and ends his illegal 740 00:36:17,050 --> 00:36:21,040 invasion , can I move on 741 00:36:21,050 --> 00:36:23,161 to mark Niccola Daily Mail , please , 742 00:36:23,429 --> 00:36:26,139 Mister Healey , if I could ask you this 743 00:36:26,149 --> 00:36:29,449 question and then jump to it to Mister 744 00:36:29,469 --> 00:36:32,340 Austin as the Daily Mail has reported 745 00:36:32,350 --> 00:36:34,572 recently , the Royal Navy hasn't had an 746 00:36:34,572 --> 00:36:36,840 attack submarine on operations for more 747 00:36:36,850 --> 00:36:39,179 than two months and most of the astute 748 00:36:39,189 --> 00:36:42,040 class are alongside undergoing repairs . 749 00:36:42,439 --> 00:36:44,300 This has necessitated a greater 750 00:36:44,310 --> 00:36:46,389 reliance on the Uk's allies in 751 00:36:46,399 --> 00:36:48,679 particularly the United States . So 752 00:36:48,689 --> 00:36:50,856 when will Britain be able consistently 753 00:36:50,856 --> 00:36:53,310 to protect its bomber submarines which 754 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:56,000 carry the Uk's nuclear deterrent ? And 755 00:36:56,010 --> 00:36:58,232 to Mister Austin , how familiar are you 756 00:36:58,232 --> 00:37:00,399 as US , Secretary of State for Defence 757 00:37:00,399 --> 00:37:02,454 with these many long standing issues 758 00:37:02,454 --> 00:37:04,232 within the Royal Navy ? And how 759 00:37:04,232 --> 00:37:06,459 comfortable are you with them ? Given 760 00:37:06,469 --> 00:37:08,636 it is the US that is often required to 761 00:37:08,636 --> 00:37:12,399 plug capability gaps . Well , 762 00:37:12,409 --> 00:37:14,909 mark you , you know , I won't comment 763 00:37:14,919 --> 00:37:16,919 as defense secretary or on anything 764 00:37:16,919 --> 00:37:19,141 operational , but I will say as defense 765 00:37:19,141 --> 00:37:21,141 secretary , I will announce nothing 766 00:37:21,141 --> 00:37:23,363 that compromises the security of our UK 767 00:37:23,363 --> 00:37:25,419 nuclear deterrent . And I would just 768 00:37:25,419 --> 00:37:27,979 say to you this uh President Putin 769 00:37:27,989 --> 00:37:31,699 knows just how capable and world class 770 00:37:31,709 --> 00:37:33,979 our submarines and our underwater uh 771 00:37:33,989 --> 00:37:36,899 systems are . And 772 00:37:37,610 --> 00:37:40,610 today , we as three nations have been 773 00:37:40,620 --> 00:37:43,070 discussing the way that our national 774 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:46,129 forces can be strengthened by being 775 00:37:46,139 --> 00:37:48,195 developed and deployed in the future 776 00:37:48,195 --> 00:37:50,639 together through the AUS partnership . 777 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:54,800 So this is a partnership 778 00:37:55,189 --> 00:37:58,879 that reinforces our national 779 00:37:58,889 --> 00:38:01,969 securities but also collaboratively 780 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,000 reinforces wider national and 781 00:38:05,010 --> 00:38:07,066 international security and stability 782 00:38:07,066 --> 00:38:10,370 too . Hey , Mark , I think the question 783 00:38:10,379 --> 00:38:12,939 was whether or not I am confident in 784 00:38:12,949 --> 00:38:15,227 the U K's capability . Is that correct ? 785 00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:21,129 Yes . Hey , listen , I , you 786 00:38:21,139 --> 00:38:24,739 know , we , we have been 787 00:38:24,929 --> 00:38:28,179 trusted allies for a long time . We 788 00:38:28,189 --> 00:38:30,356 have fought beside each other , bled , 789 00:38:30,356 --> 00:38:32,770 bled uh with each other face difficult 790 00:38:32,780 --> 00:38:36,510 challenges uh with , with each other . 791 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:38,853 And , you know , I was telling the , uh , 792 00:38:38,853 --> 00:38:41,449 the ministers earlier today a short 41 793 00:38:41,459 --> 00:38:44,199 years that I spent in uniform , a good 794 00:38:44,209 --> 00:38:47,580 part of that . Well , well , over five 795 00:38:47,590 --> 00:38:51,169 years was in combat on and off . There 796 00:38:51,179 --> 00:38:53,429 was never a place that I went where I 797 00:38:53,439 --> 00:38:56,939 didn't have , uh , a 798 00:38:56,959 --> 00:39:00,780 brit or a , uh , an Aussie that was in 799 00:39:00,790 --> 00:39:03,899 that formation . That's how closely 800 00:39:03,909 --> 00:39:06,979 we've been working together for a long 801 00:39:06,989 --> 00:39:09,211 time . As a matter of fact , when I was 802 00:39:09,211 --> 00:39:11,909 a land forces commander in the uh in uh 803 00:39:12,169 --> 00:39:16,169 in Iraq , my deputy was a , 804 00:39:16,590 --> 00:39:19,760 was a brit man by the name of Sir 805 00:39:19,770 --> 00:39:21,992 Richard Baron . You probably know about 806 00:39:21,992 --> 00:39:24,399 him or know of him . He rose to 807 00:39:24,409 --> 00:39:28,270 prominence in the UK military . But 808 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,389 we , we , you know , I have confidence 809 00:39:31,399 --> 00:39:33,343 uh in , in , in their war fighting 810 00:39:33,343 --> 00:39:36,110 capability , uh their strategic 811 00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:39,389 outlook uh in , in their willingness to 812 00:39:39,399 --> 00:39:41,979 work alongside us on tough , tough uh 813 00:39:41,989 --> 00:39:44,520 issues uh and the same level of 814 00:39:44,530 --> 00:39:46,252 confidence with the , with the 815 00:39:46,252 --> 00:39:49,189 Australian military . So um the short 816 00:39:49,199 --> 00:39:52,280 answer is yes , that answer is based 817 00:39:52,290 --> 00:39:54,229 upon many years of experience of 818 00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:56,860 working with uh uh with our allies here . 819 00:39:57,649 --> 00:39:59,649 Thank you . Can I turn to La Latika 820 00:39:59,939 --> 00:40:02,000 Boke , please . The knightly . Thank 821 00:40:02,010 --> 00:40:04,810 you , Secretary Austin , a revered 822 00:40:04,820 --> 00:40:06,939 elder of Mr Miles's Party , former 823 00:40:06,949 --> 00:40:09,159 Prime Minister Paul Keating has said 824 00:40:09,169 --> 00:40:11,780 that August is about the United States 825 00:40:11,820 --> 00:40:14,330 turning Australia into suckers and a 826 00:40:14,340 --> 00:40:17,159 military outpost . What would you say 827 00:40:17,169 --> 00:40:20,110 to critics like Mr Keating . And are 828 00:40:20,120 --> 00:40:22,120 you concerned about the tone of the 829 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:24,760 debate in Australia around Aus and that 830 00:40:24,770 --> 00:40:26,992 leading to a slippage in public support 831 00:40:26,992 --> 00:40:29,560 for the program ? And Secretary Healy , 832 00:40:29,570 --> 00:40:31,681 I didn't quite understand your answer 833 00:40:31,681 --> 00:40:33,979 on storm shadow . Yes or no . Are you 834 00:40:33,989 --> 00:40:36,580 willing to go it alone ? And Secretary 835 00:40:36,590 --> 00:40:38,919 Austin , would you be ok with that 836 00:40:38,929 --> 00:40:41,040 scenario if the British decided to go 837 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:42,040 it alone ? 838 00:40:45,570 --> 00:40:49,469 So regarding your first question , 839 00:40:52,810 --> 00:40:56,179 Aus pillar , one of Aus will provide a 840 00:40:56,189 --> 00:40:59,639 generational capability uh 841 00:40:59,729 --> 00:41:03,120 to uh to Australia that will provide 842 00:41:03,129 --> 00:41:06,320 benefits for many , many years to come . 843 00:41:07,330 --> 00:41:09,639 It is well worth the investment . It is 844 00:41:09,649 --> 00:41:12,270 well worth the uh the effort that we 845 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:14,639 put into it . And we take this very 846 00:41:14,649 --> 00:41:16,860 seriously . And she heard Secretary 847 00:41:16,870 --> 00:41:19,750 Healy say earlier , we haven't shared 848 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:23,199 this with any other country in 60 years . 849 00:41:23,850 --> 00:41:26,409 So this is not a good idea that we woke 850 00:41:26,419 --> 00:41:28,909 up uh 11 day and said , hey , let's 851 00:41:28,919 --> 00:41:31,949 let's do this . We , we understood the 852 00:41:31,959 --> 00:41:34,310 level of complexity , the commitment , 853 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:36,431 the hard work that would go into this 854 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:38,780 and , and the shared responsibilities 855 00:41:38,790 --> 00:41:41,012 that uh that would come along with us . 856 00:41:41,510 --> 00:41:45,169 And what I've seen throughout in 857 00:41:45,179 --> 00:41:48,280 working with uh our trusted allies here 858 00:41:48,290 --> 00:41:50,979 is just that tremendous uh uh 859 00:41:51,310 --> 00:41:54,560 commitment . I've seen uh 860 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:59,429 incredible performance by , by their 861 00:41:59,439 --> 00:42:01,661 sailors , by the Australian sailors and 862 00:42:01,661 --> 00:42:03,750 Secretary Healy . I I know would uh 863 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:06,419 would agree with me as we have trained 864 00:42:06,429 --> 00:42:08,651 their sailors in our schools recently . 865 00:42:08,750 --> 00:42:11,199 Uh their performance has been quite 866 00:42:11,209 --> 00:42:14,800 impressive . This uh 867 00:42:14,820 --> 00:42:18,320 effort extends over m uh several years . 868 00:42:18,860 --> 00:42:20,971 Uh And because of that , we , we know 869 00:42:20,971 --> 00:42:23,082 that we need to make sure that , that 870 00:42:23,082 --> 00:42:25,540 we hit every benchmark , every 871 00:42:25,550 --> 00:42:27,772 objective over that period of time that 872 00:42:27,772 --> 00:42:30,580 we've outlined . And to date in the 873 00:42:30,590 --> 00:42:33,500 third year of our efforts on August , I 874 00:42:33,510 --> 00:42:36,540 can say that we have uh and we continue 875 00:42:36,550 --> 00:42:39,090 to press forward to uh to make sure 876 00:42:39,100 --> 00:42:41,100 that , you know , that , that we're 877 00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:43,267 doing everything that we need to do to 878 00:42:43,267 --> 00:42:45,322 ensure that this capability comes to 879 00:42:45,322 --> 00:42:47,489 life and it's already coming to life . 880 00:42:47,489 --> 00:42:49,656 If you look at what's happening in the 881 00:42:49,656 --> 00:42:49,389 schools , you know what we're doing in 882 00:42:49,399 --> 00:42:51,566 maintenance , we're investing in our , 883 00:42:51,566 --> 00:42:54,030 in the submarine uh industrial bases . 884 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:57,649 So we are creating capability and we 885 00:42:57,659 --> 00:42:59,820 are committed to making sure that uh 886 00:43:00,209 --> 00:43:03,899 that , you know , Australia has what it 887 00:43:03,909 --> 00:43:06,131 needs to have going forward and it will 888 00:43:06,131 --> 00:43:08,298 make its own sovereign decisions about 889 00:43:08,298 --> 00:43:10,242 what it will do in the future . We 890 00:43:10,242 --> 00:43:12,449 fully expect that . But thanks , 891 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,080 let me add to that . I said earlier 892 00:43:16,080 --> 00:43:18,080 that we've just completed the first 893 00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:21,179 course , uh our Royal Navy training 894 00:43:21,189 --> 00:43:24,860 250 Australians in uh nuclear 895 00:43:24,870 --> 00:43:27,550 engineering . I am proud to say also , 896 00:43:27,560 --> 00:43:29,616 we've got Australian submariners now 897 00:43:29,709 --> 00:43:32,169 serving on one of our astute submarines 898 00:43:32,550 --> 00:43:36,310 and we've got Australian experts now in 899 00:43:36,320 --> 00:43:38,739 our wider nuclear enterprise . These 900 00:43:38,750 --> 00:43:40,972 are just the very first steps they will 901 00:43:40,972 --> 00:43:43,500 increase during the year ahead . And 902 00:43:43,510 --> 00:43:46,989 it's part of the way that we bind our 903 00:43:47,149 --> 00:43:50,100 AUS partnership closer together and we 904 00:43:50,110 --> 00:43:52,669 develop it further for the future . On 905 00:43:52,679 --> 00:43:54,969 your other question , there really is 906 00:43:54,979 --> 00:43:56,868 only one person , you know , that 907 00:43:56,868 --> 00:43:58,868 benefits from a public debate about 908 00:43:58,868 --> 00:44:00,868 specific capabilities . And that is 909 00:44:00,868 --> 00:44:03,035 President Putin . And I would just say 910 00:44:03,035 --> 00:44:05,629 to you this America 911 00:44:06,860 --> 00:44:08,693 that has been outstanding in its 912 00:44:08,693 --> 00:44:11,409 leadership in support of Ukraine and 913 00:44:11,419 --> 00:44:14,899 the UK provide military aid and 914 00:44:14,909 --> 00:44:18,320 support for Ukraine across a wide range 915 00:44:18,429 --> 00:44:20,840 of capabilities . And we do that for 916 00:44:20,850 --> 00:44:23,770 the sole purpose to help Ukraine 917 00:44:24,139 --> 00:44:26,530 defend itself from this illegal 918 00:44:26,540 --> 00:44:28,651 invasion . And we will continue to do 919 00:44:28,651 --> 00:44:31,860 that . I might just say a little , a 920 00:44:31,870 --> 00:44:33,814 little bit of responsibility takes 921 00:44:33,814 --> 00:44:37,790 question as well . Um Mr 922 00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:41,270 Keating to um uh 923 00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:43,810 to give him credit has been consistent 924 00:44:43,820 --> 00:44:45,931 in his position over a long period of 925 00:44:45,931 --> 00:44:49,330 time . Um What Mr Keating is saying now 926 00:44:49,340 --> 00:44:51,959 is what Mr Keating was saying in March 927 00:44:51,969 --> 00:44:53,802 of last year . So there's really 928 00:44:53,802 --> 00:44:56,649 nothing new uh in his comments and 929 00:44:56,659 --> 00:44:59,489 obviously he is perfectly entitled to 930 00:44:59,500 --> 00:45:02,169 the view that he holds . But what's 931 00:45:02,179 --> 00:45:05,510 also not new uh is the strategic 932 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:08,070 imperative for Australia to walk down 933 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:10,302 the path of acquiring a nuclear powered 934 00:45:10,302 --> 00:45:13,260 submarine capability just to be able to 935 00:45:13,270 --> 00:45:16,139 maintain the submarine capability that 936 00:45:16,149 --> 00:45:18,959 we had in the early two thousands when 937 00:45:18,969 --> 00:45:21,080 we first introduced the Collins class 938 00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:23,560 submarine into the future , will 939 00:45:23,570 --> 00:45:26,280 require us to move down a nuclear 940 00:45:26,290 --> 00:45:28,760 powered path because as we move into 941 00:45:28,770 --> 00:45:31,530 the 20 thirties and forties , diesel 942 00:45:31,659 --> 00:45:33,500 electric submarines will become 943 00:45:33,510 --> 00:45:36,800 increasingly detectable and as a nation 944 00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:39,560 uh which is positioned where we are , 945 00:45:39,570 --> 00:45:41,514 which is ocean going , which is so 946 00:45:41,514 --> 00:45:43,681 connected to the world through our sea 947 00:45:43,681 --> 00:45:45,681 lines of communication , we have to 948 00:45:45,681 --> 00:45:48,830 have a top of the line , first rate , 949 00:45:48,889 --> 00:45:52,260 long range uh submarine capability . 950 00:45:52,270 --> 00:45:54,500 And the only way we achieve that is 951 00:45:54,510 --> 00:45:56,510 through a nuclear powered submarine 952 00:45:56,510 --> 00:45:59,649 capability . Uh So to be able to have 953 00:45:59,659 --> 00:46:02,219 the same capability in the future that 954 00:46:02,229 --> 00:46:04,285 in Mr Keating's time he was planning 955 00:46:04,285 --> 00:46:06,507 for with the Collins class submarines , 956 00:46:06,507 --> 00:46:08,629 we must walk down this path . But of 957 00:46:08,639 --> 00:46:10,861 course , uh a nuclear powered submarine 958 00:46:10,861 --> 00:46:13,120 capability will be greatly uh in 959 00:46:13,129 --> 00:46:15,330 advance of anything that the Collins 960 00:46:15,340 --> 00:46:17,284 class submarines offer us today as 961 00:46:17,284 --> 00:46:20,439 capable as they are . And this is uh 962 00:46:20,449 --> 00:46:23,209 the most significant or one of the most 963 00:46:23,219 --> 00:46:25,300 significant leaps in military 964 00:46:25,310 --> 00:46:27,639 capability that our nation has ever 965 00:46:27,649 --> 00:46:29,840 taken . And as uh Lloyd just said 966 00:46:29,850 --> 00:46:32,030 earlier , this is only the second time 967 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:33,945 in history that we have seen uh 968 00:46:33,955 --> 00:46:36,864 countries pass this technology on to 969 00:46:36,875 --> 00:46:39,097 another country . The first of course , 970 00:46:39,097 --> 00:46:41,208 being when the United States provided 971 00:46:41,208 --> 00:46:43,264 this technology to the UK . So it is 972 00:46:43,264 --> 00:46:46,504 not lost on us the significance of the 973 00:46:46,514 --> 00:46:48,864 step that we are taking . But this is 974 00:46:48,875 --> 00:46:51,215 utterly essential for Australia's 975 00:46:51,225 --> 00:46:53,584 future and the strategic imperative of 976 00:46:53,594 --> 00:46:56,435 that remains unchanged , irrespective 977 00:46:56,445 --> 00:46:59,304 of what Mr Keating says in terms of the 978 00:46:59,314 --> 00:47:01,840 state of the debate in Australia , uh 979 00:47:01,850 --> 00:47:04,639 from the labor party's own conference 980 00:47:04,649 --> 00:47:07,500 last year in August through to the uh 981 00:47:07,510 --> 00:47:09,760 bipartisan position which is held by 982 00:47:09,770 --> 00:47:11,992 the political parties in our parliament 983 00:47:11,992 --> 00:47:14,239 through to the public support for what 984 00:47:14,250 --> 00:47:17,229 we are doing in the development of Aus 985 00:47:17,239 --> 00:47:19,572 and Australia acquiring this capability . 986 00:47:19,639 --> 00:47:23,320 There is support for Aus in Australia . 987 00:47:23,750 --> 00:47:26,090 I mean that is where the public debate 988 00:47:26,100 --> 00:47:28,889 stands . There is absolutely support 989 00:47:28,899 --> 00:47:31,669 for this and we will continue to make 990 00:47:31,679 --> 00:47:33,901 the argument to the Australian people . 991 00:47:33,901 --> 00:47:36,123 We are really comfortable and confident 992 00:47:36,123 --> 00:47:38,346 about the way in which that argument is 993 00:47:38,346 --> 00:47:40,235 being received . Uh There will of 994 00:47:40,235 --> 00:47:42,457 course be other voices which happens in 995 00:47:42,457 --> 00:47:44,850 a democracy and that is important . Uh 996 00:47:44,860 --> 00:47:47,610 But this is a program which enjoys 997 00:47:47,620 --> 00:47:50,110 bipartisan support in Australia . Uh 998 00:47:50,120 --> 00:47:53,510 And it is happening . Thank you . And 999 00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:56,449 finally , Lauren Williams defense one . 1000 00:47:57,239 --> 00:48:01,050 Thank you more on submarine production 1001 00:48:01,060 --> 00:48:03,227 in the US . The Virginia class program 1002 00:48:03,227 --> 00:48:05,282 is very behind schedule . It's years 1003 00:48:05,282 --> 00:48:07,610 behind schedule and the the submarine 1004 00:48:07,620 --> 00:48:10,469 industrial based challenges have long 1005 00:48:10,479 --> 00:48:13,909 been known . Are you concerned at all 1006 00:48:13,919 --> 00:48:16,889 that shipbuilders will able to not only 1007 00:48:17,469 --> 00:48:19,750 produce what the navy has already 1008 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:22,469 ordered in the US but also produce what 1009 00:48:22,479 --> 00:48:25,169 Australia is trying to procure on 1010 00:48:25,179 --> 00:48:27,350 pillar two . There's been a lot of 1011 00:48:27,360 --> 00:48:30,149 discussion about expanding it to other 1012 00:48:30,159 --> 00:48:32,429 countries and other technologies . But 1013 00:48:32,439 --> 00:48:34,520 when you do that , that introduces 1014 00:48:34,919 --> 00:48:37,830 security risks , cybersecurity risks 1015 00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:40,469 specifically . Can you talk a bit about 1016 00:48:40,479 --> 00:48:42,757 how you're going to protect companies' , 1017 00:48:42,757 --> 00:48:44,979 intellectual property ? And if you have 1018 00:48:44,979 --> 00:48:47,090 enough counterintelligence efforts in 1019 00:48:47,090 --> 00:48:50,300 place to mitigate those . And then in 1020 00:48:50,310 --> 00:48:53,429 that same vein with pillar two , when 1021 00:48:53,439 --> 00:48:55,606 you're developing these technologies , 1022 00:48:55,606 --> 00:48:57,772 I know a lot of it is classified , but 1023 00:48:57,772 --> 00:48:59,828 still these companies are developing 1024 00:48:59,828 --> 00:49:02,379 technologies . How are you ensuring 1025 00:49:02,639 --> 00:49:04,472 that what's being developed will 1026 00:49:04,472 --> 00:49:06,639 actually end up in the hands of 1027 00:49:06,649 --> 00:49:09,100 military operators and not necessarily 1028 00:49:09,110 --> 00:49:11,260 just become experiments . 1029 00:49:14,590 --> 00:49:17,820 Um First of all , in terms of our 1030 00:49:17,830 --> 00:49:21,820 ability to meet the the production 1031 00:49:21,830 --> 00:49:25,169 objectives , um Of course , we're 1032 00:49:25,179 --> 00:49:27,179 concerned about that and that's why 1033 00:49:27,179 --> 00:49:29,560 we're investing more in the submarine 1034 00:49:29,570 --> 00:49:31,729 industrial base so that they can 1035 00:49:31,830 --> 00:49:35,780 continue to expand capacity and uh and , 1036 00:49:35,790 --> 00:49:38,709 and place uh uh our efforts on a , on a 1037 00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:41,020 ramp that ensures that we can meet the 1038 00:49:41,030 --> 00:49:43,399 objectives going forward . And I feel 1039 00:49:43,409 --> 00:49:45,353 good about some of the things that 1040 00:49:45,353 --> 00:49:48,110 we're investing in . You know , I uh I 1041 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:50,729 met with the leaders of industry and , 1042 00:49:50,739 --> 00:49:53,760 and , and discuss with them with the uh 1043 00:49:54,820 --> 00:49:56,987 what they're doing with the additional 1044 00:49:56,987 --> 00:49:59,449 resources that we're providing uh and , 1045 00:49:59,459 --> 00:50:01,348 and what they're investing in how 1046 00:50:01,348 --> 00:50:03,626 they're using those uh those resources . 1047 00:50:03,626 --> 00:50:05,626 Uh And I , so I think uh you know , 1048 00:50:05,626 --> 00:50:07,959 they , they welcome that discussion and , 1049 00:50:07,959 --> 00:50:10,409 and , and what I'm seeing is that we're 1050 00:50:10,419 --> 00:50:12,479 investing in the right things and we 1051 00:50:12,489 --> 00:50:15,199 will be able to expand uh the uh the 1052 00:50:15,209 --> 00:50:17,399 capacity going forward and , and to 1053 00:50:17,409 --> 00:50:21,040 meet our objectives . Um Pillar 1054 00:50:21,050 --> 00:50:24,899 two , we do see opportunities 1055 00:50:24,909 --> 00:50:28,270 to offer um other 1056 00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:31,040 countries , the ability to work with us 1057 00:50:31,050 --> 00:50:33,300 on specific projects . Uh There are 1058 00:50:33,310 --> 00:50:36,379 countries uh that um who , who want to 1059 00:50:36,389 --> 00:50:38,445 work with us that bring a lot to the 1060 00:50:38,445 --> 00:50:41,620 table and on a project by project basis , 1061 00:50:41,629 --> 00:50:43,573 we , we will endeavor to work with 1062 00:50:43,573 --> 00:50:45,949 those countries . Uh Ensuring that all 1063 00:50:45,959 --> 00:50:48,126 the things that you mentioned in terms 1064 00:50:48,126 --> 00:50:50,292 of protection of IP and those kinds of 1065 00:50:50,292 --> 00:50:52,348 things , the right things are taking 1066 00:50:52,348 --> 00:50:54,626 place . We don't take that for granted . 1067 00:50:54,626 --> 00:50:56,889 And finally , my , my colleagues will 1068 00:50:56,899 --> 00:50:59,649 attest to the point that uh during our 1069 00:50:59,659 --> 00:51:02,709 discussion today , all three of us 1070 00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:05,820 hammered home . Um You know what our 1071 00:51:05,830 --> 00:51:07,889 North star is , our north star is to 1072 00:51:07,899 --> 00:51:09,810 make sure that we are , we are 1073 00:51:09,820 --> 00:51:12,090 producing capability for the war 1074 00:51:12,100 --> 00:51:15,030 fighter uh in real and relevant time 1075 00:51:15,050 --> 00:51:17,810 and we cannot allow to lose that focus . 1076 00:51:17,939 --> 00:51:20,161 That's our current focus and it will be 1077 00:51:20,161 --> 00:51:22,050 our focus . Uh you know , for the 1078 00:51:22,050 --> 00:51:23,995 foreseeable future going forward , 1079 00:51:24,409 --> 00:51:28,270 Richard , let me just finish 1080 00:51:28,280 --> 00:51:31,179 off by underlining that point about 1081 00:51:31,639 --> 00:51:35,120 times scale . Uh These are decade , 1082 00:51:36,110 --> 00:51:38,332 the submarines in particular and pillar 1083 00:51:38,332 --> 00:51:40,629 one and decades long programs . This is 1084 00:51:40,639 --> 00:51:43,790 the perhaps the most complex 1085 00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:45,800 engineering and technologies on the 1086 00:51:45,800 --> 00:51:49,489 planet , but there is an imperative to 1087 00:51:49,500 --> 00:51:52,449 see every day counts because it is what 1088 00:51:52,459 --> 00:51:54,929 we do now and in the weeks and months 1089 00:51:54,939 --> 00:51:58,250 ahead now that will determine whether 1090 00:51:58,260 --> 00:52:01,570 or not to time towards the end of the 1091 00:52:01,580 --> 00:52:05,010 2030 S , the first Aus submarines are 1092 00:52:05,020 --> 00:52:08,399 built and put into operation . And 1093 00:52:08,969 --> 00:52:11,169 in our discussions , that theme ran 1094 00:52:11,179 --> 00:52:14,429 throughout timescales are tough , but 1095 00:52:14,439 --> 00:52:17,520 they are essential and that together we 1096 00:52:17,530 --> 00:52:19,919 are absolutely determined that we will 1097 00:52:19,929 --> 00:52:21,873 deliver . So , thank you , Cesar . 1098 00:52:23,229 --> 00:52:25,562 Thank you all . Thank you all very much . 1099 00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:31,709 Ok .