Austin visits Japan, Philippines, hosts Australians in Annapolis

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III departs July 26 for a trip to Japan and the Philippines.

As part of his 11th official visit to the Indo-Pacific region, Secretary Austin will travel to Tokyo for the 2024 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee — or “2+2” — meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko. They will also convene a ministerial meeting on Extended Deterrence. While in Tokyo, Secretary Austin will participate in a historic Trilateral Ministerial Meeting (TMM) with Minister Kihara and Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik — the first ever to be held in Japan or the ROK — and will also meet with other senior Japanese officials.

From Tokyo, Secretary Austin will travel to the Philippines, where he will meet in Manila with Secretary Blinken and their Philippine counterparts, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, for the fourth U.S.-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

After returning to the United States, Ministers Austin and Blinken will host their Australian counterparts – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Penny Wong – in Annapolis, Maryland, for the 2024 Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) on August 6, where the officials will discuss the unbreakable alliance between Australia and the United States.

Over ten days, Secretary Austin will engage with counterparts from four U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, as the Department of Defense continues to strengthen U.S. relationships with regional allies and partners in support of a shared vision of peace, stability, and deterrence.