Australia and Britain have signed a new treaty that pledges closer co-operation in meeting defence and security challenges.
The historic document was signed in Perth, during the latest annual consultations between the Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers of the two countries.
A joint communique says the new treaty reflects the importance that Australia and Britain place on close co-operation, in an increasingly complex global security environment.
It says the two countries already have an exceptionally close relationship, founded on deep historic roots, shared values, and common strategic and economic interests.
But it notes that until now, there hasn't been what it calls an over-arching strategic framework for defence and security relations.
British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says there are many areas for further co-operation.
"There are very significant ties between our two defence ministries and between our armed forces, you might even say that their DNA is inextricably linked. We share intelligence. We co-operate on international training initiatives. We have a strong personnel exchange program. We work together in areas such as science and technology and cyber, and we are both members of the important regional Five Powers Defence Arrangement."
Philip Hammond says British and Australian forces have worked together in recent military operations - and it's important to preserve the lessons learned from that experience.
"Through the treaty we will look to expand further our existing military cooperation, a cooperation which has been greatly reinforced by the shared experiences of Afghanistan and Iraq, experiences which we are determined not to lose, the interoperability and close working relationships of our armed forces will be retained."
Australia's Defence Minister Stephen Smith has repeated that Australia may commit special forces to Afghanistan, after the scheduled withdrawal of regular troops by the end of next year.
And he says there are likely to be further joint efforts with Britain to help Afghanistan.
"We've made it clear that under an appropriate mandate Special Forces is a possibility, but we've also committed and it's reflected in the communique to joining with the United Kingdom in the proposal to train Afghan national army officers."
The new treaty commits Australia and Britain to make joint efforts to achieve value for money in defence acquisition, management and capability sustainment.
But Stephen Smith says the operational capability of the Australian Defence Force will not be compromised.
"We remain in the top 15 defence spenders indeed 13 or 14 together with Canada, and what we need to do is to make sure that our capacity to spend determined by fiscal reality doesn't adversely impact upon our priorities, and that is why in the last budget we protected our overseas operations whether that was Afghanistan, whether that was the Solomon Islands or East Timor."
The Perth communique also outlines the results of discussions on a wide range of international issues.
One initiative to emerge from the meeting is a joint effort by Australia and Britain to encourage the United States to try to sponsor new peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The communique says only the US has the capability of bringing the two sides together, to work towards a two-state solution.
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says it's essential to re-start Middle East peace talks as soon as possible.
"The point about now is that time is running out, and we need that concentrated focus on getting Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table with the agreement that is so close but at the same time so elusive."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague agrees that the matter is urgent, as Israel pushes ahead with new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"The possibility of a two-state solution is steadily slipping away, it is now, it's at a stage where we don't have much longer to bring it about due to changes on the ground, principally including settlements activity."
Among the Asia-Pacific issues discussed in Perth was the bitter territorial dispute between China and Japan over a group of islands in the East China Sea.
Foreign Minister Carr says there is hope that tensions over the issue will ease.
"We acknowledge the tone taken by the new Japanese Prime Minister which I think is realistic and conciliatory, in the time he's been in office we underlined our commitment to seeing a settlement in accordance with international law including international Law of the Sea."
On Syria, the communique calls on President Hafez al-Assad to step aside, to allow what it calls a peaceful political transition.
Foreign Secretary William Hague says Britain is doing all it can at present to help opposition forces - and some of the victims of the fighting.
"We have increased our practical support to the National Coalition of the Opposition I announced a further increase in that support last week, that is non-lethal support. We're also like Australia giving generously to the international humanitarian appeals given that the desperate state of hundreds of thousands of people who have fled across Syria's borders."
