The US Navy will commission a new warship in Australia – with the battleship ready to join the US fleet
- The US warship USS Canberra is commissioned in Sydney
- It comes as Secretary of Commerce Don Farrell is on his way to the US
- The minister is working on strengthening defense ties
The new USS Canberra will be the first U.S. warship to enter service in an Allied country, and the battleship will join the U.S. fleet.
Australian Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond said the historic event in July would show the deep ties between the United States and Australia and provide an opportunity to reflect on their shared history.
“This is a unique demonstration of US respect for the officers and ratings of the Royal Australian Navy,” said the vice admiral.
Members of the US Navy and the USS Canberra crew will be received in Sydney on the occasion.
It is the second American ship to bear the Canberra name after former President Franklin D. Roosevelt renamed a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser in the 1940s after a valiant effort by the Australian Navy’s HMAS Canberra during the battle to Savo Island in 1942.
The US warship USS Canberra (pictured) will be commissioned in Australia in what will be the first US warship to commission in an allied country
News of the commissioning came as Secretary of Commerce Don Farrell was on his way to the US to strengthen defense ties with Washington.
Senator Farrell embarks on a four-day trip in an effort to strengthen economic ties, including defense technology, after the nations agreed to ensure Australia procures nuclear-powered submarines.
The US, Australian and UK defense supply chains and manufacturing sectors will become more closely intertwined as the three nations work under the AUKUS pact to build submarines.
Senator Farrell will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework meetings, which will also discuss clean energy transition and a safe region amid China concerns.
His Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao will also be at the meetings, but a side meeting has not been locked in.
It comes weeks after Senator Farrell traveled to Beijing to lobby for the elimination of criminal trade sanctions.
He will also meet US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo while in Detroit.
Secretary of Commerce Don Farrell (pictured) is on his way to the US to strengthen defense ties with Washington
Senator Farrell said the government is committed to diversifying trade relations and “creating broader and stronger trade deals for the benefit of Australian businesses and workers.”
Negotiations over Australia’s access to vital defense technology in the context of strict US arms export laws are also continuing.
Canada has been cut out of those laws, an exception Australia is also seeking in an effort to cut red tape and streamline cooperation.
The minister’s visit comes amid tense negotiations between President Joe Biden and Congress over raising the US debt ceiling to avoid a potentially catastrophic bankruptcy.
Markets are already dragging on negotiating uncertainty, but a default could send destructive ripples through the global economy and further scare away investors.