Australia says it will base defense spending on country's needs
Australia's deputy prime minister said the nation will base defense spending on national interest, amid calls by President Donald Trump for U.S. Indo-Pacific allies to increase military budgets.
Richard Marles, who serves concurrently as Australia's defense minister, will join NATO leaders for meetings in the coming week at the Hague. "There will inevitably be conversations around defense spending,' he said in a Sky News Australia interview Sunday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Australia to increase its defense budget, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to encourage allies to raise it toward 5% of gross domestic product. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the nation would determine its own levels of military expenditure.
"We will have a respectful conversation with the United States, of course we will do that, and of course we will determine our own defense spending based on Australia's national interest,' Marles said.
When asked if Australia needs a stronger military deterrent for China, Marles said: "We are building a defense force with a very clear strategic objective, and that strategic objective is to be able to deter the coercion of any potential adversary.'
The Australian government is currently aiming to increase defense spending to 2.4% of gross domestic product by the financial year ending 2034, a significant boost but below what Trump seeks from U.S. allies.
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Japan Times
13 hours ago
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Australia says it will base defense spending on country's needs
Australia's deputy prime minister said the nation will base defense spending on national interest, amid calls by President Donald Trump for U.S. Indo-Pacific allies to increase military budgets. Richard Marles, who serves concurrently as Australia's defense minister, will join NATO leaders for meetings in the coming week at the Hague. "There will inevitably be conversations around defense spending,' he said in a Sky News Australia interview Sunday. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Australia to increase its defense budget, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to encourage allies to raise it toward 5% of gross domestic product. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the nation would determine its own levels of military expenditure. "We will have a respectful conversation with the United States, of course we will do that, and of course we will determine our own defense spending based on Australia's national interest,' Marles said. When asked if Australia needs a stronger military deterrent for China, Marles said: "We are building a defense force with a very clear strategic objective, and that strategic objective is to be able to deter the coercion of any potential adversary.' The Australian government is currently aiming to increase defense spending to 2.4% of gross domestic product by the financial year ending 2034, a significant boost but below what Trump seeks from U.S. allies.
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Israel tells U.S. it could attack key Iran nuke site before Trump deadline
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The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordo, the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program, said the sources. The United States is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain. The United States is moving B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam, reinforcing the possibility that the U.S. could participate directly in an attack. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground, such as the one at Fordo. A person in Washington familiar with the matter said Israel has communicated to the U.S. administration that it believes Trump's window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed. The person did not say whether the Israelis made that point during the high-level call. 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Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have said they hope Trump will help Israel finish destroying Iran's nuclear program. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to keep the U.S. out of what he called "stupid" foreign wars, has himself seemed conflicted at times about whether to join the Israeli attack on Iran or focus on diplomatic efforts to end Tehran's nuclear program. But his rhetoric in recent days has become increasingly aggressive toward Iran. Iran's Fordo nuclear facility is seen in a satellite image from June 14. | Maxar Technologies / via REUTERS Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. The White House declined to comment for this story. The Israeli Prime Minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond. Publicly, Netanyahu has not ruled out Israel attacking Fordo alone, though officials have not provided any details on how that would be achieved. Four sources said it is now increasingly likely that the country will launch a solo military operation. Israeli air superiority over much of Iran makes an operation more feasible, though still risky, said two of the sources. The Israelis feel they have the momentum and have limited time given the costs of the war, one source added. "I don't see them waiting much longer," said the source. It is not clear whether such an operation would involve bombing, ground forces, or both. Two of the sources said that rather than attempting to destroy the entire site Israel could instead do significant damage to it. That could mean focusing on destroying what is inside the site rather than the site itself, said one of the sources, declining to elaborate. Some analysts have speculated that Israel could use special forces to enter Fordo and blow it up from inside. 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