Australia called out in blistering new US military strategy
A radical new defence strategy from the US calls out Australia and there is one word missing from the documents that will ready worry Canberra.
A radical new national security strategy released by the Trump administration has pointedly called out Australia for not spending enough on defence.
And there is one word missing from the 33-page document which will steer the White House when it comes to defending America, protecting allies and projecting force: “AUKUS”.
Australia’s signature defence pact with the US is not mentioned once.
It comes amid reports one of the most influential defence officials in the US has “contempt” for the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. While it appears to be going ahead – due to Donald Trump’s personal intervention – it will worry Canberra that there is pushback against AUKUS which could outlive Mr Trump’s presidency.
The US’ National Security Strategy was released late on Thursday, Washington time.
Overall, the document signals a less interventionist US which may alarm its allies and delight China and Russia which could look to fill the gap.
“The affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests,” the report stated.
“The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over”.
The priority is the Western Hemisphere, it states, as well as a “vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific”.
It further stated that “ending mass migration” was a national security priority.
Europe came in for a particular drubbing with it being accused of “elite-driven” and “anti-democratic” restrictions and warned the continent would face “civilisational erasure”.
That seemed to crystallise the current US’ government alignment with nationalist parties on the continent.
It also said Europe has a “lack of self-confidence” despite having “a significant hard power advantage over Russia by almost every measure”.
Australia in the report
Australia is specifically mentioned three times in the National Security report. One mention, which will cheer Canberra, is Washington’s support of “the Quad” – a security partnership between the US, Japan, Australia and India.
The other two mentions are less positive.
“America First diplomacy seeks to rebalance global trade relationships,” it stated.
“We have made clear to our allies that America’s current account deficit is unsustainable.
“We must encourage Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and other prominent nations in adopting trade policies that help rebalance China’s economy toward household consumption, because Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East cannot alone absorb China’s enormous excess capacity.”
Australia’s defence spend called out
But most damningly, the strategy calls out Australia for not spending enough to defend itself.
On a section regarding the US’ “hardening and strengthening” of its military presence in the western Pacific, it adds that “in our dealings with Taiwan and Australia we maintain our determined rhetoric on increased defence spending”.
“Preventing conflict requires a vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific, a renewed defence industrial base, greater military investment from ourselves and from allies and partners, and winning the economic and technological competition over the long term.”
The US under Donald Trump has suggested that it will only defend allies who take more responsibility for their own defence.
Washington has been pushing Australia to spend more on national security. Currently, around 2 per cent of GDP, or around $60 billion annually, goes on defence with a plan to raise that to 2.3 per cent.
But Washington would like to see Australia spend up to 3.5 per cent. In June, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that should happen as “soon as possible”. Proportionally, it would bring Canberra’s national security budget up to the level of the US.
Getting to 3.5 per cent would mean spending an extra $40 billion annually, the ABC has reported. That’s money that is tied up elsewhere.
One word missing
Australia is, however, spending a sizeable amount of cash on the AUKUS deal, a chunk of which is going straight to the US so it can increase production of submarines, some of which Australia wants in return.
Yet the word “AUKUS” does not come up once in the US’ new security strategy. That could reflect mixed feelings about the pact in Washington.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit Washington DC on Monday when the US is expected to recommit to AUKUS after a tense period when the new administration re-evaluated the program.
That will come as a relief to Australia and AUKUS’ other partner the UK.
But a report in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has suggested this fresh AUKUS sign off has come grudgingly in some quarters of the administration.
It’s be reported that a more “sceptical” position on AUKUS was originally drafted in the review but had to be rewritten.
That’s because of Mr Trump’s glowing endorsement of the defence deal when he met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House in October.
US defence official Elbridge Colby was pushing for the AUKUS review. He has been far less enthusiastic about AUKUS and is said to believe US built submarines sent to Australia could weaken America as it’s not guaranteed Australia would use them if the US had a conflict with China.
The SMH quoted an unnamed source as saying Mr Colby’s “contempt” was still evident in the review. The review has not been made public.
Europe criticised in report
Still, Australia fares better than Europe in the report.
In extraordinary language for addressing close allies, the strategy said the administration would be “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations”.
The strategy pointed to Europe’s slide in share of the global economy – which is the result largely of the rise of China and other emerging powers – and said the “decline is eclipsed by the real and more stark prospect of civilisational erasure”.
“Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognisable in 20 years or less.
“It is far from obvious whether certain European countries will have economies and militaries strong enough to remain reliable allies.”
As Mr Trump seeks an end to Ukraine war that would likely favour Russia gaining territory, the strategy accused Europeans of weakness and said the United States should focus on “ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance”.
Germany quickly hit back, saying that it does not need “outside advice.”
US Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks said the document “discards decades of values-based US leadership in favour of a craven, unprincipled worldview”.
– With AFP.
Originally published as Australia called out in blistering new US military strategy
