Security experts say Australia must agree to US request to send a navy ship to Red Sea

Failing to send a warship to help the US protect international shipping lanes in the Middle East would be a ‘shock’ to our allies, national security experts have warned.

Failing to send a warship to help the US protect international shipping lanes in the Middle East would be a “huge mistake” and a “shock” to our allies, national security experts have warned.

Australia is “considering” a request from the US navy to send a ship to the Red Sea to bolster an international task force responding to growing attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

With the federal government this week breaking from the US and voting for a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, security experts say it is imperative Australia heed the request, given rising tensions in the Middle East.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) senior analyst in defence strategy and capability Dr Malcolm Davis said it would “look bad” if Labor did not send a ship.

“It would be a huge mistake to say no, because it would completely undermine our credibility in the eyes of the Americans … particularly after going against the US in the UN General Assembly vote on Israel-Gaza,” he said.

US military personnel are in the Red Sea to protect shipping lanes as tensions in the Middle East flare. Picture: AFP

“It’s a very legitimate mission, it’s defending international shipping on the high seas against attacks from terrorist forces.”

Dr Davis said he could not recall a situation where Australia had turned down such a request from the US.

There are already about five Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel embedded with the Combined Maritime Forces headquarters in the region, and in 2020 HMAS Toowoomba was sent on a six-month rotation to protect shipping lanes as part of Operation Manitou.

Any warship Australia sends in response to the latest US request would be operating in a war zone.

Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings said the ADF had decades of experience patrolling around the Persian Gulf and should help international efforts again.

“It would actually be nice for our government to make a practical contribution to stability in the Middle East,” he said.

“It would be a real bit of a shock to the US if Australia said no.”

Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles says Australia is considering the request. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian

Mr Jennings said Labor had so far “really failed” to call out Iran strongly enough on its role sponsoring terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

“In each case you’re talking about terror organisations, which are being funded and encouraged by the Iranian regime,” he said.

“Let’s have a conversation about how Iran should be constrained and sanctioned.”

Acting Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed Australia had received the request at an operational level and would consider it “in the normal way”.

“Australia has been a part of the Combined Maritime Force for a long time, we’ve got personnel who have embedded there right now and in the past, we have had navy vessels deployed to that region,” he said.

Mr Marles said Australia’s national interest was a key consideration in any deployment.

He said freedom of navigation was an important issue for Australia, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

“I want to emphasise the focus of our efforts is on our immediate region,” he said.

The US has increasingly been forced to shoot down drones in self-defence and last month Houthi rebels took control of a transport ship connected to Israel in the Red Sea near Yemen, and still hold the vessel.

Coalition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said security of Red Sea trade and shipping lanes was important for Australia and other trading nations.

“Any decision to deploy the Royal Australian Navy, its personnel and its assets, including a warship, is a decision of the government of the day, and it’s a decision for the government to explain,” he said.

“We know Iran-backed militia and terrorists have threatened and attacked ships in the area, and we know Iran was behind the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.

“In principle, if sending an Australian warship to the area would contribute to peace, security and stability in the Middle East, it is worth considering.”

Originally published as Security experts say Australia must agree to US request to send a navy ship to Red Sea