Visiting US military officials give blunt warnings to Australia over future conflicts with China

The United States has urged Australia to give “early” notice if it won’t support future military operations, after the United Kingdom angered the Trump administration this year by limiting access to British air bases for strikes against Iran.

A representative from the US Indo-Pacific Command has delivered the blunt message in Canberra, as another visiting American General warns that China is making profound military advances in space that could soon be used against allies like Australia.

Appearing at a closed-door defence gathering in Canberra, a United States Air Force officer attached to INDOPACOM headquarters in Hawaii, has highlighted Australia’s geography as being an ideal operating base for any future Indo-Pacific conflicts.

During the event titled: “Fight Tonight: Exploiting Australia’s Strategic Advantage”, USAF Colonel James E. Landreth, has also praised the Australian Defence Force as being highly valued, despite its relatively small size.

The Pentagon official has detailed how Australia’s geography can give the US irreplaceable strategic depth, allowing its joint force to disperse widely in a conflict and to project north from a secure operating base.

Earlier this year UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially refused a request from the Trump administration to use British facilities for its bombing offensive against Iran, later granting permission for “limited defensive purposes”.

According to attendees at the Sir Richard Williams Foundation event in Canberra on Thursday, the US Air Force Colonel said that if Australia was also not prepared or willing to contribute to future missions “then please tell us early”.

When the US-led strikes on Iran began in late February, the Albanese government was one of the first in the world to express support for the action but has since insisted it has not received any formal request from Washington for direct military assistance.

On Thursday another senior US Pentagon official who is also visiting Canberra for high level talks, warned that China is making profound military advances in space that could soon be used against countries such as Australia.

Lieutenant-General Gregory Gagnon, commander of the US Space Force’s combat forces, told reporters that Beijing had developed the largest space force in the world, and was “moving out like a world class sprinter, and they are making gains.”

“I would tell you that the United States and the United States military are the most effective space force in the world, but the rapid acceleration of the Chinese space program is concerning,” Lieutenant-General Gagnon said.

“I try to remind people that space is a war-fighting domain today not because we want it to be, but because the [People’s Liberation Army] has made it so. They have built the weapons to attack us in space. They have practised using those weapons to attack us in space.”

Lieutenant-General Gagnon said that since consolidating his power in 2013, President Xi Jinping had grown the number of Chinese satellites in space from around 70 to today’s figure of approximately 1400.

“Remote sensing that isn’t even looking at the Chinese mainland, remote sensing that’s looking in the Indo Pacific region, so that they can see Australian forces moving, so that they can see US forces moving,” the General noted.

The visiting commander also said Australia boasted “prime real estate” for geospatial and low-earth orbit observations while declaring that part of the great strength of the US Space Force was its partnership with AUKUS allies including the United Kingdom.

“Between the three of us, it gives us a geographic advantage that our adversaries do not enjoy… because we’re separated so well on the globe, it gives us almost continuous coverage of outer space that is important in defending space and keeping your assets connected and defended.”