Australia Sees Military Allies Ready to Work Together If Needed

Australia’s military is ready to deploy with its allies if needed in Asia or beyond, its defense forces chief said Friday at the conclusion of military drills in the South China Sea with the US, Philippines and others.

“If our governments were to make a decision, if in this region or elsewhere, that we have to work together, we have the confidence that we have got the ability,” Admiral David Johnston, the head of Australia’s military, said in an interview in Manila. “We’ve tested it, we’ve trained, we’ve practiced it.”