Overview
- Following Saturday's ministerial meeting in Melbourne, the two governments announced the finalisation of contracts for Australia's first three general purpose frigates and signed the 'Mogami Memorandum' aboard JS Kumano.
- The partners set a target to deliver the first Royal Australian Navy frigate in 2029 and backed an Australian sustainment base and local shipbuilding capability for the class.
- Officials confirmed an Implementing Arrangement for the MQ‑28A Ghost Bat that sets a formal framework for joint Collaborative Combat Aircraft activities.
- Defence agencies signed a Letter of Intent for a new cyber partnership to boost shared readiness, resilience and capacity.
- The joint statement flagged serious concerns over the East and South China Seas, underscored the need for stability across the Taiwan Strait, welcomed a US‑brokered Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and urged safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.