Australia is a strong partner to the US and is making valuable contributions to peace and security around the world, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in Boston on Tuesday.
"Our alliance remains strong, its reach is global, and our nations remain a cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and in the world," Carter said after two days of discussions for the 2015 Australia-US ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations.
Carter co-hosted the talks in Boston with Secretary of State John Kerry.
He said the US and Australia face a full spectrum of complex threats, citing as examples illegal trafficking, cybersecurity and the threat posed by ISIS and violent extremism.
"Australia has been with the US since the start in Afghanistan, and has expanded its critical role in Iraq and Syria to "deliver [ISIS] a lasting defeat," Carter said, noting that Australian pilots have recently begun flying in Syria.
Topics being discussied during AUSMIN include engaging Russia to discuss air safety protocols in Syria, deepening the US-Australian alliance, tensions in the South China Sea, and anchoring regional security.
Continuing the US rhetoric on China's actions in the South China Sea, Carter said the US and Australia share an interest in upholding basic international norms such as freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce.
"Together, our nations favour peaceful resolutions to disputes and oppose coercion and infringement on well-established international norms, especially in the face of rising tensions in the East and South China Sea," he said.
He added the US will continue to "fly, sail and operate" wherever international law allows, explaining that the "South China Sea is not and will not be an exception".