PM finally gets his meeting with US President Donald Trump

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally secured a meeting with US President Donald Trump. It will be held in Washington on October 20 – barring international or domestic incidents requiring the President’s attention. There have been a number of on again off again opportunities at international summits including the cancelled meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada in June. There will no doubt be plenty to talk about, with the Trump and Albanese administrations having widely varying policies on a number of issues. This includes Israel/Palestine policy, climate change, tariffs, levels of Defence spending and the US review of AUKUS to name just a few. A group of 25 mostly Republican US lawmakers warned Australia this week that its position in recognising a Palestinian State could invite retaliation from the US. Prime Minister Albanese was not alone given like-minded traditional US/Israel allies like the UK, France and Canada all backed a similar position in an effort to put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza. US President Donald Trump called the recognition foolish on the part of allies and said it would only encourage terr

AIDN launches Tasmanian chapter

AIDN on Thursday officially launched its Tasmanian chapter. The launch event was held at the Australian Maritime College in Launceston and brought together representatives from Federal and State government, Defence, local industry, and academia celebrating collaboration and the vital role Tasmania plays in Australia’s sovereign defence capability. AIDN CEO, Mike Johnson, commented that the national body was focussed on building real partnerships and supporting SME growth across every state and territory. Mr Johnson said the new chapter was about empowering Tasmanian businesses, connecting innovators, and setting the stage for deeper collaboration in the national interest. The AIDN Tasmania launch featured keynote presentations, industry networking, and a showcase of local and national SME capability, with support from leading partners such as the Federal Office of Defence Industry Support and Department of State Growth. It marked a significant milestone in national efforts to strengthen Australia’s defence i

Australia wields Defence clout in Asia

Australia is second only to the United States in terms of wielding Defence influence in South East Asia according to the latest Lowy Institute 2025 Asia Power Index. The report looks at the influence of countries in South East Asia via diplomacy, defence, economic and cultural networks. Worryingly at the top of the overall standings across all vectors, China has overtaken the US as the leading power in the region due to its economic influence, knocking the US into second. The report finds China leads on economic relationships and backs its presence with consistent diplomacy. The report defines Defence influence as Defence cooperation, foreign deployments, combined military exercises and operations, and arms procurement relationships as well as Defence diplomacy Defence engagement, measured in terms of defence attaché networks, the existence of defence agreements, formalised dialogue mechanisms, and the tempo of bilateral defence dialogues. Overall, when diplomacy, economic and cultural networks are considered, Australia rose from 5th last year to 4th in the rankings this year behind the China the US and Japan. The report measures the relative importance of ten external partners to the 11 countries in Southeast Asia based on their economic and diplomatic relationships, defence networks and cultural influence. The countries where Australia was considered to have the most influence included Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Timor Leste.

The race for a sovereign self-sufficient defence industry

AIDN CEO Mike Johnson will provide an address to a National Press Club lunch in Canberra on October 15. The speech will follow the AIDN National Gala Dinner at the same venue the previous night. Tickets are still available for both events. Mike Johnson’s theme for the NPC address will be “The race for sovereignty: Building Australia’s self-reliant industrial and defence base by 2035’’. Mike will explain how Australia stands at a crossroads when it comes to developing a sovereign self-sufficient Australian Defence sector. He will argue the global environment is more uncertain and contested than at any point since the Second World War. The rise of China, doubts around AUKUS, procurement failures, workforce shortages, and the revolution in warfare driven by Ukraine are all reminders the stakes are high. Mike will argue that by investing in people, technology, and the industrial base, Australia will not only be well-prepared for the challenges ahead, but also a nation that drives stability and prosperity in the

US-Australia relationship in a good place

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles insisted this week that Australia’s relationship with the US was in a “good place’’ despite the many policy differences between the two countries that have been made more stark following the Leaders UN General Assembly this week. Mr Marles said Australia had one of the lowest tariff rates imposed on any country by the US and AUKUS was “progressing at pace’’ despite concerns over the ongoing US review. He particularly mentioned the $12 billion investment in the Henderson precinct and Australia’s readiness to host regular rotations of US and UK nuclear submarines in the West from 2027. DPM Marles received support from an unusual quarter when former ambassador to the US and Coalition Minister Arthur Sinodinos said while Australia and the US were at odds over the recognition of a Palestinian State, this was not fatal to the ongoing Australia-US relationship. DPM Marles said Australia was meeting every AUKUS milestone it had committed to.