US Confirms Australia’s Participation in Japan-Based Exercises to Increase Trilateral Cooperation

The White House has confirmed that Australia will participate in the Yama Sakura and Keen Edge exercises in Japan for the first time as part of efforts to expand trilateral cooperation, with a focus on unmanned aerial systems.

The announcement was made ahead of the arrival of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the United States for a state visit.

According to a new White House fact sheet, the enhanced cooperation will increase interoperability and speed up technology transfer in the field of collaborative combat aircraft and autonomy, DefenseScoop reported.

At the recent ComDef 2023 conference, Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s former ambassador to the U.S., highlighted the need for establishing stronger partnerships with the U.S. and Japan, pointing to China’s activities and its economic and military power in the Indo-Pacific region.  

Aside from the trilateral cooperation, the fact sheet also noted the initiatives Australia and the U.S. will work on together, including developing collaborative combat aircraft, advancing the AUKUS implementation and updating export laws to protect sensitive defense information and technology.