Defence Minister Richard Marles open to US talks on Australia increasing military spending

The nation’s defence minister says a top US adviser’s call for Australia to dramatically up its military spending is “reasonable”.

Richard Marles has left the door open to increased Australian defence spending after one of Donald Trump’s top Pentagon picks called for Australia to dramatically lift military investment to counter China’s rise in the region.

Describing the call for Australia to spend 3 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence and in light of increased European spending, the federal defence minister said while the government had committed to an extra $50bn spend over the decade, discussions would continue.

He was responding to Elbridge Colby, Trump’s choice to be head of policy at the US Defence Department, who told a US Senate committe the “main concern” the US should “press” with Australia was higher defence spending.

Defending Australia Panel Discussion. Picture: Brett Hartwig

Mr Marles said: “There’s no doubt we live in a strategically complex and threatening world so I understand very much the position that America is taking and I think it is reasonable that America is asking its friends and allies around the world to do more.”

Mr Marles, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said the federal government was committed to having that conversation with the US and this “had already started” with his recent meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Mr Marles also told a Defending Australia forum he trusted the AUKUS relationship was standing firm despite hiccups in the United States’ oval office.

His comments following Mr Trump appearing to not recognise the term AUKUS in a press conference and also sparking global concern after a heated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the country’s conflict with Russia.

President Donald Trump has since “paused” shipments of military equipment to Ukraine but Mr Marles said Australia “will continue to support Ukraine as long as it takes for Ukraine to resolve this conflict on its terms”.

Australian personnel were in Britain training Ukrainian armed forces, had supported the country with tanks and the Australian embassy had reopened in Kyiv, he said.

Defending Australia Panel Discussion . 5th March 2025 Picture: Brett Hartwig

When asked about Chinese warships recently conducting a live-firing exercise off the Australian coast and circumnavigating the country, Mr Marles was clear the event had not breached international laws and the government was aware the task would be happening.

The government was now observing what the vessels were undertaking in the region and whether the Chinese government was “trying to send a message”.

“International law has to be our touchstone … because there is much more often Australian ships in the vicinity of China,” he said, but “we were not happy about the notice that was given by the Chinese navy” on live-firing exercises.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie used far stronger language, backing his leader Peter Dutton in calling on the Prime Minister to make firmer contact with the Chinese government in relation to the warships’ presence saying “he failed to insist on mutual respect” Mr Hastie said Chinese warships training off the coast of Australia were sending a message to the nation and “I think there’s a message there, I think the average person in the street with a PhD in life got the message loud and clear”.

The warships appeared as “Donald Trump was resetting relationships in Europe with NATO and I think it was a test for us”, he said.

Mr Hastie spruiked the opposition’s commitment to buying more fighter jets if it wins power, and said the nation urgently needed a recruitment drive for more young people to join the defence forces.

In reference to Mr Marles saying the government was spending an extra $50bn, he said “to quote Top Gun and I’ll paraphrase it, the deputy Prime Minister is running chips he can’t cash because neither of us will be around in 10 years to realise that”.

When asked whether Mr Trump could be trusted with AUKUS, he believed AUKUS was “a lock” but as president Mr Trump studied “your hand very closely” and it’s “incumbent for the Prime Minister to show a strong hand in future negotiations”.

He believed negotiations with President Zelensky made it clear Mr Trump was keen on rare earths and Australia could use its own rare earth and mineral assets to strengthen its negotiations.

There was strong support for AUKUS from Premier Peter Malinauskas who said the entire nation needed to get behind its nuclear-powered submarine program because there is “no submarine shop where we can go and purchase a submarine”.

BAE Systems Australia chief executive Craig Lockhart said the nuclear-powered submarine industry as the “most highly regulated, safest industry in the world”.

Dennis Cleary, director legal and commercial for Hanwha Defence Australia said it was important for Australia to build strong relationships with powerhouses like Japan and South Korea.

Originally published as Defence Minister Richard Marles open to US talks on Australia increasing military spending