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Representatives from the US Department of Defense have visited Commonwealth government-operated munitions facilities in NSW and Victoria.
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Senior Defence representatives from the Australian Army and the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) have hosted representatives from the US Department of Defense at two Australian-owned munitions production factories in Mulwala, NSW, and Benalla, Victoria.
According to CASG’s Head Land Systems, Major General Andrew Bottrell, the officials from the US embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation visited the sites over a two-day period as part of the nations’ shared commitment to supporting bilateral defence trade and diversification initiatives, as outlined in last year’s Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations.
“The sites at Mulwala and Benalla have been supplying the ADF and our partners with munitions for decades, and Defence is committed to expanding their capability and that of the broader Australian industrial base to strengthen our supply chain resilience for explosive ordnance and guided weapons,” MAJGEN Bottrell said.
Brigadier Haydn Kohl, Director General Explosive Materiel, said the US embassy team observed the trial filling of a number of 155mm US artillery projectiles with high explosive manufactured at Mulwala.
“The United States government is assisting with the transfer of this technology to Australia and once testing is complete, these rounds will be fully US certified and available for supply to US Indo-Pacific Command units as needed,” BRIG Kohl said.
“In addition to showing our US colleagues the world-class work being undertaken by just some of the 650 workers employed at these Defence-owned munitions factories, the visit was also an opportunity for us to discuss future steps to deepen industrial collaboration and strengthen supply chain resilience for the benefit of both countries.”
Office of Defense Cooperation chief at the US embassy, Colonel Chris Ingleton, added, “US cooperation with Australia on production of 155mm projectiles is a key first step as we look to expand to other ammunition and achieve mutually beneficial results that contribute to and complement each of our industrial bases and operational readiness.”
