Australia is more than capable of deploying a ship to the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe passage of vital oil and fertiliser shipments, the nation’s top military commander has said, while warning that a build-up of US military assets in the Middle East may leave a vacuum in the Indo-Pacific.
Australian Defence Force chief Admiral David Johnston said that the government could “absolutely deploy” a ship to the region if it was deemed a priority.
“I have no hesitation in our ability to work in a Strait of Hormuz type role … But perhaps what is an at least as important question is: ‘Where do our priorities lie?’ ” Johnston said.
“In the context of today, you would be aware that the United States has moved enormous military capacity into the Gulf region at the moment, including a lot of capacity out of the Indo-Pacific. This is an important time for us to be present in the Indo-Pacific to maintain that regional environment.”
The government has not said whether direct requests have been made by the United States for support in the strait, as the war in the Middle East enters a tenuous two-week ceasefire. Before the ceasefire began, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Australian time), said that he felt betrayed by American allies, including Australia, that had failed to assist in the war.
Questions over the capacity for ADF ships to safely patrol the strait were raised by opposition sovereign capability spokesman and former SAS commander Andrew Hastie during a television appearance last month.
“I’ve got a brother in the navy. The question is, ‘Could I put my hand on heart as a parliamentarian and send him and his shipmates into the Strait of Hormuz?’ And I can’t, because I know we don’t have the capability to defend against Iranian drones and missiles,” Hastie told the Insiders program.
Johnston rejected Hastie’s claim, saying: “The short answer is yes, we could absolutely deploy.”
While the government has not committed naval vessels to the region, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday morning said the National Security Committee had on Wednesday agreed to lengthen the deployment of Australia’s E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft.
The plane, 85 ADF personnel and air-to-air missiles were sent to the region last month at the request of the United Arab Emirates, with the government reiterating the ADF’s support of the Emirates would be for defensive purposes only. The original deployment window was set for four weeks.
Responding to a question on how the ADF could ensure that information gathered from the plane was not used for offensive activities by the US or Israeli militaries, Johnston said: “We make sure that everything that has come off that aircraft is related to a defensive mission.”
The Greens criticised the aircraft’s original deployment and the idea that it would only be used for defensive purposes. “Our presence at best will free up other facilities for more offence, and at worst, we will be further dragged into offensive action,” Greens leader Larissa Waters said at the time.
Despite Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which ordinarily sees 20 per cent of global oil supply moving through its waters, the ADF said its fuel supply remained “healthy” after doubling holdings since 2023.
“We have long-term contracts for fuel supplies. Everything that I’m hearing is that those supplies are continuing to be met,” Johnston said.
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