EDITORIAL: Why won’t the Government reveal US war request?
It seems unthinkable that we would refuse a US request as it takes on the burden of a war. So why won’t the Government tell us what the US wants and what we have done about it?
Almost two weeks into the US-Israeli-led war against Iran and many questions remain unanswered.
One might seem a little cheeky. When did the United Arab Emirates become such a key security partner?
But here’s the basis for the query.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this week that Australia would send an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and missiles to bolster Gulf nations’ defences against Iranian retaliatory strikes.
Mr Albanese insisted that it was purely “defensive” and Australia wouldn’t engage in offensive action or put troops on the ground.
While the Prime Minister maintained the decision was prompted by a request from the UAE, the news came just hours after a phone call with US President Donald Trump early on Tuesday morning.
When asked if the pair spoke about military support, he avoided directly answering, insisting it was a “private conversation”.
That night Defence Minister Richard Marles revealed the US — and others — had also made requests.
That’s right, the US. Out most important ally.
Mr Marles refused to detail what Washington’s wish list included. “I’m not going to go into the specifics of it,” he said.
The approach has been parroted all week by other ministers.
Such as Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, asked if the US request had been accepted or rejected: “I’m not going to go into those details.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Thursday when asked if she had responded to the US request: “Well of course we engage with the US but the request that we have responded to is the United Arab Emirates.”
Mr Marles again, on Thursday: “We’ve had requests from a number of countries . . . including the United States, but our deployment of the E-7 is very much in response to the specific request that we received by the UAE.”
So what is going on?
Possibilities include that we have agreed to a US request for something and are working out how to meet the request; that we have already met the request but the Government is keeping it secret; that we have ghosted the US and not responded in any way; that we have decided to refuse and are working out how to let them know; that we have refused and told them.
The answer to which option is in play has enormous ramifications for this country not just now, but for our future.
Australia has fought alongside the US in every major conflict since World War I. We are tied to the US through treaties such as ANZUS and AUKUS as well as the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network and Australia’s hosting of thousands of US Marines on rotation through Darwin.
It seems unthinkable that we would refuse a US request as it takes on the burden of a war to make the world safer for all by eradicating the threat of the Iranian regime and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
So why won’t the Government tell us what the US wants and what we have done about it?
