Updated Sep 3, 2026 – 1.36pm, first published at 10.06amWashington | Canberra and Washington are working to ramp up American military presence on Australian soil, as the Trump administration seeks to bolster US deterrence in the Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness.After meeting US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, Defence Minister Richard Marles said an “acceleration in force posture” would be announced at the next meeting of Australian and US defence ministers later this year.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles