Australia will not send a warship to the Middle East as US President Donald Trump demands neighbouring countries join a naval coalition to give oil tankers safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The government ruling out the possibility of sending any naval assets to the Middle East has focused attention on the navy’s shrinking fleet of warships, which will number just nine surface combatants by the end of the year, down from 11 two years ago.
HMAS Arunta, the oldest of the navy’s seven remaining Anzac-class frigates, is expected to be decommissioned this year, and will not be replaced by a Japanese-made Mogami-class frigate until 2029.
Two in three naval vessels are typically out of action for maintenance or preparations, meaning the navy could have just two available frigates at any one time when HMAS Arunta retires.
Transport Minister Catherine King said Australia had not received a request from the US to send a warship to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil trade passes, and would not send one if asked.
“We’ve been very clear about what our contribution is in relation to our requests, and so far that is to the [United Arab Emirates], obviously providing aircraft to assist with defence, particularly given the number of Australians that are in that area in particular,” Transport Minister Catherine King told ABC radio on Monday.
“But we won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is. That’s not something that we’ve been asked or we’re contributing.”
This masthead reported on Sunday that the government was not keen to send any warships to the Middle East as it is focused on the Indo-Pacific region.
Defence experts also pointed out that Australia would struggle to send a vessel.
“Ideally, we should be able to support our allies on such a mission, but we simply don’t have enough ships,” Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow in naval studies at UNSW, said.
Over the weekend, Trump named China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain among the countries he would like to see send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to make it easier for oil tankers to pass through the crucial waterway.
Transit through the strait has collapsed since the US-Israel war against Iran began following attacks from Iranian drones and missiles, fuelling a massive surge in global oil prices.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump singled out the UK for threats if it fails to contribute to his coalition, saying: “We will remember.”
Moving on to countries in the Gulf, he said: “We need – really, I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory.
“It is their territory. It’s the place from which they get their energy. And they should come and they should help us protect it.”
Trump’s call for a naval coalition has so far received a tepid response.
While Britain is considering his request, China has not responded and Japan has indicated it is unlikely to send any warships to the region.
“We have not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are continuing to examine what Japan can do independently and what can be done within the legal framework,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on Monday.
Trump called on NATO countries to do “whatever it takes” to help the US military operation in Iran, warning of dire consequences for the alliance if he is rebuffed.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” he told the Financial Times.
He said in the interview he could delay his long-awaited trip to China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for March 31 if China did not help reopen the flow of tankers through the strait.
The Coalition attacked the government’s decision not to send a warship to the Red Sea in 2023 to help protect shipping routes from attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen, but has offered the government room to decline any US request with bipartisan backing.
“If a formal request is made by the United States, it would need to be assessed against our national interests, including their ability to safely operate in a highly contested strategic environment,” opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said.
“Australia’s primary focus remains the Indo-Pacific.”
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Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.