PM Malcolm Turnbull not concerned about Donald Trump’s military plans

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he isn’t concerned about Donald Trump’s plans to build a ‘gigantic’ military force.

President-elect Donald Trump plans to build a ‘gigantic’ military force, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon.

PRIME minister Malcolm Turnbull isn’t concerned about Donald Trump’s plans to build a “gigantic” military force, saying a “stronger US means a safer world”.

The Prime Minister’s comments come after former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, the man tipped to be the next US Secretary of State, said the President-elect planned a “gigantic” military expansion which would allow the US to fight a “two-ocean war’’.

Meanwhile, former Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr has warned about America descending into “apocalyptic” talk on potential threats to its safety.

Mr Turnbull said he welcomed a strong US while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday to unveil the newest addition to Australia’s air force, a surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft called the P-8A Poseidon.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he welcomes a strong US, while unveiling the first RAAF P-8A Poseidon Surveillance aircraft in Canberra. Picture: Ray Strange

“The President-elect campaigned on a promise to increase investment in the US military and we support and welcome a strong United States,” he said.

“When I spoke to the President-elect last week, we talked about the defence build-up that he is committed to ... and he was very interested to learn more about our commitments ... in particular our investment in our capabilities, our air force, army, land forces but, of course, above all, the massive naval ship building plan that we have.

“A stronger United States means a safer world.”

The Prime Minister said the US was entitled to expect its allies to make significant commitments to their own defence as well.

It comes after Mr Giuliani, part of Mr Trump’s transition team, told global business leaders in Washington on Tuesday night the US planned to build a “modern, gigantic” military force that could face China in the Pacific.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr told Sky News on Wednesday a US administration should be promoting peace talks, not “sliding into this apocalyptic talk”.

“Where is China challenging the status quo as opposed to broadly, more often than not, accepting the rules of international conduct?” he said.

“What is very encouraging about Chinese behaviour, and I’m happy to revise it if the evidence changes, is that they are now engaged in diplomacy with Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines about areas of dispute that had seen them dredging and building what might be military facilities.

“I’d rather hear a US administration say ‘It’s in our interest to see that our differences are resolved peacefully and China is persuaded, sometimes forcefully, to adhere to an international legal system.”

Australia's former Foreign Minister Bob Carr speaking at the fifth World Peace Forum in Beijing in July. Picture: VCG via Getty Images

Mr Carr said the US was not going to be in a position to “engage in a huge dash for total overwhelming military dominance in two oceans” while facing a “huge” budget deficit with the implementation of President-elect Trump’s taxation reforms.

In an opinion piece for Fairfax media on Wednesday, Opposition Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Australia should work with its neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region at this point of change.

Senator Wong said Labor remained committed to Australia’s alliance with the US but cautioned “we should not be naive” about an America under Donald Trump.

Originally published as PM Malcolm Turnbull not concerned about Donald Trump’s military plans