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The 24th annual conference will be co-hosted by Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell and Commander US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino.
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According to the Commonwealth, the event gives senior military leaders within the region and beyond an opportunity to convene to discuss pressing security issues for the Indo-Pacific, with ‘“Promoting the Rules-Based Order in the Indo-Pacific” serving as this year’s theme.
The conference is expected to discuss climate change, advanced technologies and the conflict in Ukraine.
Thirty countries are invited to the event, with representatives from the Indo-Pacific, as well as Europe, North America and South America.
Discussions this year are expected to follow on from the last annual Chiefs of Defense conference, with quarterly events expected to address pressing issues into the future.
“It’s through continuous, open dialogue from engagements like this where our common set of values and our commitment to a secure and prosperous region bring us together to find more ways to increase interoperability and share information and technologies,” ADM Aquilino said.
Chief of the Defence Force, GEN Campbell, welcomed the opportunity to host the event in Australia.
“Australia is honoured to co-host the 2022 Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense conference with the United States,” GEN Campbell said.
“I look forward to advancing our shared interests in maritime security, health security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and information sharing, as we strive to create a more open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region.”
In June, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles met with his counterparts, Japanese Minister of Defense Kishi Nobuo and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III for a trilateral defense meeting at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue.
The meeting, held during the 19th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia Security Summit, was the 10th meeting between defence representatives from all three nations.
Throughout the discussion, the Defence leaders reaffirmed their continued support for the rules-based order and the UN Charter, rebuking Russia’s violation of international law through the invasion of Ukraine. The three called on Russia to comply with the International Court of Justice’s legal order issued on 16 March.
The meeting further opposed any actions that destabilise the security environment in the East China Sea and reiterated their support for activities in the South China Sea that are consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The leaders confirmed their ongoing support for the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal decision.
In particular, the ministers condemned North Korea’s ongoing ballistic missile and illegal nuclear warhead testing, maintaining their support for the United Nations Security Council Resolutions calling for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
The representatives also reaffirmed their commitment to building regional security and governance architectures in the Indo-Pacific, including the Pacific Islands Forum, the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and Japan Pacific Islands Defense Dialogue (JPIDD).
[Related: Defence Ministers collaborate during Trilateral Defense Ministerial Meeting]
