Baghdad-INA
Britain and Australia announced the signing of a new defense agreement in Canberra on Thursday that allows the two long-time allies to exchange hosting troops and military information.
The new document includes the so-called “Status of Forces Agreement,” which allows the forces of the two countries to “work together in each other’s countries,” according to British Defense Minister Grant Shapps and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Shapps and Marles signed the agreement during a ceremony held at Parliament House in Canberra.
“As the world becomes more complex and ambiguous, we must modernize our most important partnerships,” Marles told reporters after the signing.
He added, “The agreements we reached today will guarantee this outcome in the future.”
The agreement does not amount to a complete mutual defense treaty that would oblige one party to intervene if the other party was attacked or threatened.
Instead, both sides said they had an “obligation to consult” each other if threats emerged.
The well-known Status of Forces Agreement between NATO countries sets the rules for foreign soldiers stationed in the host country.
Australia signed the Status of Forces Agreement with the United States a long time ago.
Australia and Britain also belong with the United States to the emerging defense alliance OKOS, which aims to limit Chinese military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.
One of the cornerstones of the OKOS agreement is a pledge to help Australia build a fleet of powerful nuclear-powered submarines.
Thursday’s agreement would also facilitate, for example, Australian sailors using British nuclear submarines for training, or British submarine crews being stationed in Australia.