Login
iscover
Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has revealed the details of a conversation between her British counterpart, Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin, and the efforts to maximise collaboration in the face of COVID-19 and the shared defence programs.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The relationship between Australia and the UK is the very definition of a 'special relationship' – Australia's first strategic benefactor has recently taken a renewed focus on the Indo-Pacific to support the broader global 'rules based order' in the face of growing instability in the US and challenges from potential peer competitors in China and Russia.
This relationship has seen Australian and British forces fight side-by-side in virtually ever major conflict of the 20th century – beginning in the Middle East and southern Europe, through to combating the threats of communism during the early years of the Cold War.
The Australia-UK relationship has also proved critical to the development of Australia's defence capability throughout the years, with key technologies and platforms operated by both nations forming a critical part of the Commonwealth's unified defence capability.
To this end, Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has shed light on the details of a timely conversation between herself and UK Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin.
"Last night I spoke with my United Kingdom counterpart, Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin MP, about the importance of working with key partners during and after the COVID-19 pandemic," Minister Price said.
"I spoke with pride about Australia’s defence sector working extremely hard to keep their businesses operating safely throughout COVID-19."
Expanding on this, Minister Price added, "We also discussed the Hunter Class Frigate Program – the largest defence acquisition Australia has undertaken in partnership with the UK.
"I reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to this program and emphasised the opportunities for our two countries to continue to work together on our frigate programs."
Minister Price explained an ongoing conversation regarding increased access for Australian defence industry exports to the UK, with particular focus on success stories like the Thales Australia designed and manufactured Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle.
"The conversation was a great opportunity to discuss the support available to Australian industry to export, particularly to markets like the UK. I emphasised the world-leading capability offered by the Bushmaster and asked Minister Quin to keep me updated on the UK’s Multi-Role Vehicle-Protected Program," Minister Price explained.
This collaboration paves the way for further collaboration on key programs, like the Royal Air Force's planned acquisition of Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft to replace the Cold War-era E-3 Sentry.
Minister Price added, "We are both looking forward to further discussions when we reconvene the Australia-UK Defence industry Dialogue later this year."
