Anthony Albanese: peace of mind but no warship for Red Sea
Anthony Albanese says Australia is not just an observer in the defence of global freedom at the same time Labor is set to reject a US request to send a vessel to the Red Sea.
Anthony Albanese has declared Australia is not just an observer in the defence of global freedom and the rule-based order at the same time as his government is set to reject a US Navy request to send a warship to the Red Sea to help secure a vital trade route under attack from Iran-based militants.
Australia is expected to decline a US request to send a warship to the Red Sea after participating in a meeting overnight with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The decision is political, coming despite assurances by the navy that it could send a warship to the Middle East if it was ordered to do so, and the Prime Minister’s declaration in a speech on Tuesday that “peace must be built, preserved, defended and upheld”.
Mr Austin has excluded Australia from a new 10-nation naval task force to help protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea after the Albanese government signalled it was reluctant to contribute a navy ship to the force.
Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell was due to represent Australia at a virtual meeting hosted by Mr Austin to discuss the new task force known as Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Instead of contributing a warship to the task force, as was originally requested by the US Navy, Australia is expected to contribute a handful of navy personnel to the Combined Maritime Forces headquarters to Bahrain to support the new force.
The Prime Minister told the Lowy Institute on Tuesday night that upholding Australia’s security involved “managing urgent and competing pressures and engaging with complex and fast-moving situations”.
He said the government’s decisions were “anchored in a strategic framework and shaped by an overarching vision for Australia’s future and our place in the world”.
Mr Albanese declared on Monday that “our first priority is in our own region”. But he told the Lowy Institute the government was also focused on the wider world, amid “new flashpoints, old fault lines, ongoing tests of the rules-based order and resurgent challenges to free societies”.
“It’s often said that what happens on the world stage matters to Australia,” the Prime Minister told the Lowy Institute.
“But we are not just observers of the interplay of others’ ambitions. And our foreign policy is not just a catalogue of things that happen to us. What Australia says and does on the world stage matters – to our security, our prosperity, to the strength and stability of the region we call home.”
Mr Albanese added: “Peace is always hard work – and defence and security are central to the task.”
Mr Austin announced the new taskforce to deal with attacks on shipping from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which threatened “the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.”
“The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade,” Mr Austin said.
“Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.”
The taskforce includes the UK, Canada, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.
Oil giant BP is the latest company to pause shipping through the Red Sea in response to missile and drone attacks by Houthi forces.
Houthi rebels attacked two more ships in the Red Sea on Monday after launching multiple drone attacks at the weekend which forced a US warship to shoot down 14 drones.
The commander of the Australian naval fleet, Rear Admiral Christopher Smith, declared last week the service was “ready to support any requirements that the government will ask of us”.
It’s understood that message was reiterated in recent days, with the navy telling the government that it could mobilise an Anzac-class frigate for the task force if necessary.
But Defence Minister Richard Marles has said the priority of the navy was Australia’s immediate region.
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