The United States would benefit from reframing the way it employs forces globally to remain relevant in great power competition, particularly in light of persistent competition with China. Partnerships set the conditions for mutual operational success. The Australian and U.S. alliance, in particular, can offer both countries relative advantage by increasing training and operational opportunities in pursuit of shared security objectives. In July 2020, civilian leaders from both nations’ diplomatic corps and militaries came together at the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) 2020 to discuss complementary concerns and interests. The result was a clear articulation of the areas in which little daylight exists between the two. Specifically, participants reaffirmed that China cannot assert maritime claims in the South China Sea (SCS) “based on the ‘nine-dash line,’ ‘historic rights,’ or entire South China Sea island groups, which are incompatible with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.” This was a significant departure from Australia’s previous position of neutrality regarding claims in the SCS and exposed Australia to anticipated retribution from Chinese policies. The Brookings Institution’s assessment of AUSMIN found that as “another sign of Canberra’s determination to deal more seriously with Beijing, Australia’s new Defense Strategic Update commits to $270 billion Australian in defense investments over the next decade and refocuses the military around efforts to ‘shape, deter and respond’ to grey zone challenges and high-end aggression.” The Strategic Update refocused the primacy of operations in the southwest Pacific and Southeast Asia and relegated global campaigns to a lower priority. Both sides agreed to restart the bilateral Force Posture Working Group, providing an opportunity to achieve strategic objectives through combined tactical actions and operational planning. Greater amphibious force cooperation can be achieved by the use of three factors: space, time, and force.