Marles travels to DC
amidst continued uncertainty

27 August 2025

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles travelled to Washington DC this week for a trip planned with little advance notice. While there was initial uncertainty over whether he would meet with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth or not, he did land a meeting with both Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance. There was no press conference after the meeting, but they were expected to talk about the AUKUS Review and defence spending targets, among other issues.

The “will they or won’t they” nature of the Marles-Hegseth meeting is indicative of, more than anything, the broader theme of unpredictability and disruption during the second Trump administration. With frequent announcements and then reversals, like reevaluating the Japan trade deal or vacillating between supporting and chastising Ukraine, US allies are left to try and read the political tea leaves to determine actual motives, drivers and intentions.

Analysts are looking at when and where President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese might meet for the first time. There was the expected upcoming Quad Summit, but the tensions between the United States and India may well scupper those plans. Albanese will be in the United States for the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next month and this seemed like an opportunity. However, with Australia’s announcement it will follow the lead of France, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries to recognise Palestine as a separate state at UNGA, that looks increasingly unlikely. As USSC CEO Dr Michael Green said, the Gaza issue is an “unexploded ordinance” in US-Australia relations at the moment.

Australia, like other US allies and partners, is finding maintaining a relationship with the United States at the moment is like trying to ride a bucking bronco. Only instead of staying on for eight seconds, it’s four years. They can try to hold on through the tumult or go the way of Canada and risk facing the ire of their closest ally. There are no easy answers, but we are going to dive in to explore and tease out the tricky questions and difficult issues at our Sydney International Strategy Forum next month. We hope you can join us and hear from leading experts from the United States, Japan, Singapore and Australia as we assess the best ways to navigate disruption in trade, defence, alliances and more. Read the full program here.

Lead photo: Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles met with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance this week in Washington DC.
(Credit: X/Richard Marles)

"I was pleased to have the opportunity to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to building on this partnership with US @VP JD Vance and Secretary of Defense @PeteHegseth in Washington D.C. today."

Defence Minister Richard Marles on X  |  26 August 2025

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