US Engagement with Australia

Abstract

There is a long history of leaders and officials in Washington emphasising the closeness of the United States (US) alliance with Australia. In American academia, Australia has been described as one of the US’ closest allies in the Indo-Pacific region. Although Australia is described as a close ally by many in Washington, is it an important one? US engagement towards Australia should be understood within the broader context of Washington’s global interests and grand strategy towards Asia, and the power asymmetry at the heart of the alliance. While the rhetoric emphasises closeness, the relationship has not been without disagreements and, at times, tension. Yet there is little scholarship from a US perspective that seeks to explain US engagement with Australia. Why is the alliance viewed as valuable by Washington? How has the US historically sought to shape the bilateral relationship in the pursuit of its interests? And what benefits does it provide to the US, in the Indo-Pacific and globally? For Washington, the relatively low-cost arrangement with Australia has produced a reliable and steadfast ally in Asia, and the ANZUS alliance has broadened into a comprehensive security and economic partnership. This chapter focuses on security and defence issues. It begins with a brief history of US–Australia relations, and then examines US engagement with Australia as treaty allies, focusing on military engagement and cooperation. Finally, the chapter examines the Indo-Pacific concept and implications for US engagement with Australia, particularly the emergence of China as a challenge to US regional primacy.