Siriana Nair: US-Australia alliance remains strong with likes to Western Australia holding strong

“West is best” is a phrase I have said many times in my three years as United States Consul General in WA.

It is true in this State’s stunning vistas and wild landscapes, and in the can-do attitude of the innovators, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs here.

This exploration and love of the outdoors reminds me of America’s Western spirit — one characterised by the drive to forge ahead and tackle challenges with resilience and grit.

Globally, the West represents a commitment to human freedom, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — the core values that pushed forward the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States as a nation 249 years ago.

On this fourth of July, I am profoundly inspired by the spirit of the West — shared by America and WA.

I have been fortunate to explore WA from Broome’s 12m tides to the pristine white sands of Esperance. I have seen Western Australian innovation from Karratha to Kalgoorlie, and from Busselton to Shark Bay. And all along the way I have witnessed the US-Australia alliance creating jobs, building opportunity and prosperity, and making our countries — and our shared values — more secure.

The past three years have been transformational for our alliance in WA. We have taken steps to integrate our defence and industrial base, strengthen our trade and investment relationship, and build secure critical mineral supply chains.

Our innovation alliance has collaborated on projects from agriculture to space, encompassing everything from microbes and molecules to entire value chains and industries.

Since AUKUS was established in 2021, WA has hosted seven US nuclear-powered submarines and two US Navy submarine support vessels.

Most recently, the Virginia-class submarine USS Minnesota visited Perth in February. In addition to exchanging skills and knowledge, these visits have brought hundreds of US sailors ashore in Rockingham, Fremantle and Perth where they have volunteered in the community. And we have invited hundreds of WA Government, industry and community leaders onboard our submarines to learn about our technology and ask questions.

Last August, coinciding with visits by the USS Hawaii and USS Emory S. Land, Australian sailors performed maintenance on a US nuclear-powered submarine, the first time in history non-US citizens have done so outside US waters.

This illustrates the trust and confidence — built over 100 years — that the US has in Australia.

This year, a beautiful new memorial opened in East Fremantle dedicated to the HMAS Perth and the USS Houston, sunk together defending freedom in World War II.

I also met the Australian crew of the MV Stoker, which located the USS Edsall — a US destroyer missing since it was sunk off the coast of WA in 1942.

It is fitting the Edsall’s final resting place was discovered by our Australian friends — the people she sacrificed herself to defend.

Economically, the US remains Australia’s most important partner. The US is by far the largest foreign investor in this nation with a total stock of $1.2 trillion, creating jobs and opportunity.

America’s trade with WA has also grown significantly, and we are now the State’s fifth largest trading partner.

The US Government and American companies continue to invest billions in WA to secure the critical mineral and rare earth supply chains needed for industry, defence, and the technologies of the future. And, this past year, iconic US businesses like Starbucks and Cinnabon have also opened in WA.

WA companies are investing in the US, too, including Woodside’s US$17.5 billion liquified natural gas facility in Louisiana — the largest foreign direct investment in Louisiana’s history.

And WA companies are getting their start in the US, with med-tech company Orthocell receiving US Food and Drug Administration approval to sell its new nerve repair product in the American market.

Our economic relationship is transformational and is based on a high level of trust.

Unsurprisingly in the City of Light, the US-WA space relationship is reaching new heights, with many NASA representatives visiting WA and engaging with local students.

In January, we welcomed a NASA flight crew who came to photograph — off the coast of WA — the re-entry of the SpaceX Starship rocket that will one day take humanity to Mars.

While Starship did not quite reach its destination on that occasion, it is clear WA continues to be a close partner in space exploration and discovery.

And our cultural connections remain strong. This year, we connected young West Australians with US country music star Kane Brown, and through the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, welcomed former stars like Gary Payton, Bobby Jackson, and Terry Porter to WA.

Visiting Native American dancers and Utah’s Brigham Young University chamber orchestra shared the best of the American West with WA.

But the US-Australia alliance is much more than sport and space exploration.

Our alliance is a profound bond, forged and tested over time. Like the spirit of the West, it drives our countries forward, toward innovation and opportunity, into the future. It is underpinned by mutual trust, shared purpose, and an unwavering alignment of our interests.

At its core, it is a recognition that our nations’ security, safety and prosperity are tied to each other, and that the US has no better partner or friend than Australia.

Siriana Nair is the outgoing US Consul-General to WA.