No troops 'in advance of conflicts': Conroy

Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said yesterday, 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.

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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 Saturday that Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary 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 defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense”.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.