Australia Not Committing Troops in Advance to Any Conflict

Decision to send soldiers rests with the government of the day, says minister

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SYDNEY - Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on July 13, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan.

Australia prioritises its sovereignty and "we don't discuss hypotheticals", Mr Conroy said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance but by the government of the day," he said.

The Financial Times reported on July 12 that Mr Elbridge Colby, the US under-secretary of defence for policy, has been pushing Australian and Japanese defence officials on what they would do in a Taiwan conflict, although the US does not offer a blank cheque guarantee to defend Taiwan.

Mr Colby posted on X that the Department of Defence is implementing President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda of restoring deterrence, which includes "urging allies to step up their defence spending and other efforts related to our collective defence".