Australia agrees on increased US air deployments in Australia

Australia and the United States have reached new force posture agreements that will see greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said on Thursday.

Speaking at a joint news conference after meetings between the US and Australian foreign and defence ministers in Washington, Dutton said the two sides would be "significantly enhancing our force posture cooperation, increasing interoperability and deepening alliance activities in the Indo-Pacific."

"This will include greater air cooperation through rotational deployments of all types of US military aircraft to Australia," he said.

"We've also established combined logistics sustainment and capability for maintenance to support our enhanced activities, including logistics and sustainment capability for our submarines and surface combatants in Australia."

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said the meeting had endorsed "major force posture initiatives that will expand our access and presence in Australia."

Dutton and Austin spoke a day after the United States and Britain said they would provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

China on Thursday denounced the new Indo-Pacific security alliance between the United States, Britain and Australia, saying such partnerships should not target third countries and warning of an intensified arms race in the region.