Speaking at WA Labor's state conference in Fremantle, defence minister Richard Marles claimed security was "an innately Labor issue", after years of polling showing the party was viewed as weak on defence.
But Mr Marles pointed to the achievements of a succession of Labor prime ministers.
"Defence goes to the very heart of the sovereignty of our nation and Labor has always been a party of the Australian project. And so Labor is the party of defence," he said.
"It was the Fisher Labor government which established the Royal Australian Navy. It was John Curtin who prepared our country for its greatest hour. It was a World War II veteran, Gough Whitlam, who united the services into a single Department of Defence."
Mr Marles also singled out West Australian Labor hero Kim Beazley, who served as minister for defence in the Hawke government from 1984 to 1990.
Mr Marles claimed Beazley "set the strategic foundations for defence policy in this country, which lasted for 35 years".
"Whatever our political opponents may say or may be, they cannot claim a fraction of that heritage in respect of defence," he said.
Speaking to the WA party faithful, Mr Marles said the state's capacity to operate future submarines from Perth was key to the AUKUS agreement, with the plan providing for "immediate, frequent visits of American submarines".
He said the Royal Australian Navy base of HMAS Stirling would receive a rotation of American and UK submarines from the end of 2027, and be the future home of Australia's own Virginia-class submarines by the early 2030s.
Mr Marles also hailed the resounding re-election of the Cook government for a third term in March, followed by the equally emphatic re-election of the federal government in May.
"In the Labor history of this country and the years that resonate - 1972, 1983, 2007 - this year is the greatest of them all," he said.
Earlier this week, the Greens condemned Labor and the coalition as "Australia's war parties" after both teamed up to block a Senate inquiry into AUKUS.
Warning of supply and logistical issues with the nuclear submarine programs in each AUKUS country, Greens defence spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge called the deal "a $375 billion nuclear-powered raid on Australia's public wealth".
"The fact the Albanese government have voted for secrecy in this multi-decade, multi-hundred-billion-dollar gamble shows contempt for transparency and the very real concerns of the Australian public," he said.
"The government has already begun handing over the first $10 billion to the US and UK as part of AUKUS, without any binding agreement to either get submarines or a refund when it all unravels.
"The US is producing barely half the number of submarines needed to make AUKUS viable, and the UK's nuclear program is in meltdown."
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