Washington | Australia should use the Pentagon review of the AUKUS submarine pact to commit to being battle-ready if the United States ever needs its help in an Indo-Pacific war, says the top Asia security adviser in the administration of former president Joe Biden.

Ely Ratner says pressure on Australia to make clear what it would do in the event of a US-China war over Taiwan should be seen as a call for “preparedness” in a worst-case scenario, without Canberra having to surrender the sovereign right to stay out of such a conflict.