Defence Chief says Australia could ‘absolutely’ send ships to Middle East, but protecting Pacific is priority

Australia could “absolutely” contribute to a coalition mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, should the Albanese Government decide to do so, the nation’s defence chief has declared.

A now abandoned push by the United States to “pivot to Asia” has meant Washington is increasingly reliant on Australia to maintain its military assets in the Indo-Pacific as it concentrates its own resources in the Middle East for the war against Iran.

“I am very confident we could deploy a ship into that environment if the Government was to make a decision to do so. I have no hesitation in our ability to work in a Strait of Hormuz type role,” Admiral David Johnston said on Thursday.

“But perhaps what is an at least as important question is: where do our priorities lie?

“In the context of today, you would be aware that the United States has moved enormous military capacity into the Gulf region at the moment, including a lot of capacity out of the Indo-Pacific. This is an important time for us to be present in the Indo-Pacific to maintain that regional environment that we seek to maintain.

“The short answer is yes, we could absolutely deploy.”

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly and stridently criticised allies including Australia for not taking a more active role in the conflict in the Middle East, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

However it’s unclear what — if any — formal requests have been made by the US for Australian military support.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday signed off on keeping Australia’s E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane in the Middle East for a “period of time” after initially committing it for four weeks in a “purely defensive” capacity in response to requests from the United Arab Emirates.

Admiral Johnston said the Wedgetail was a “gem of an aircraft”. “It has radar detection capabilities that exceed most other airborne early warning and control, and because it’s a newer aircraft, it is more reliable than some of the older equivalents that have been in service much longer,” he said.

Defence Minister Richard Marles had told the media on the sidelines of ANZMIN talks last month that data collected by Australia’s plane would be available to the US as they continued offensive action in the region.

But Admiral Johnston said defence personnel would pass on only information which would allow Australia to stick to its defensive-only mandate.

“The capabilities of the aircraft are such that it is the operators of that platform who determine what information leaves the platform,” he said.

“And we’re able to apply filters to it, draw judgements on the nature of what the aircraft is detecting through all of the means — from radar to electronic systems — and then be very clear on what we are presenting out that is then picked up inside the air operation system.”

Admiral Johnston said the ADF was well placed to deal with any potential fuel shortages caused by the Hormuz Strait blockage.

“Since 2023 we have doubled our fuel holdings, in part that was a reflection of that need to uplift our national defence capability and have more in reserve in a less certain world,” he said.

Long-term contracts for fuel supply continued to be met, but Admiral Johnston said the ADF was already reviewing what activities might be scaled down or repriortised if scarcities necessitated.

Mr Marles is expected to unveil the 2026 Defence Strategic Review at the National Press Club next Thursday.

It’s expected the review will draw from observations in the US-Israel-Iran war and other conflicts including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and disputes between India and Pakistan. It will also focus on embracing technological advancements and unveil overhauled medical standards for recruitment, with a less strict criteria for people wanting to join the force.

Admiral Johnston said the 2026 strategy would build on its predecessor and be fit-for-purpose to the rapidly changing international security environment.

The defence chief talked up Australia’s continued work and training with partners “both old and new” in the region.

“The signing of the historic Australia-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security in February by Prime Minister Albanese and President Prabowo has elevated our bilateral defence relationship. And later this year, the ADF will participate in Exercise Keris Woomera, our largest bilateral exercise with Indonesia,” he said.

“The air force will also host Exercise Pitch Black in July, which we expect will see a large turnout of countries, their capabilities and their people.”