Australian Government Stays Firm on Decision to Deny US Request for Naval Vessel

Australia recently signed a joint statement condemning Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The United States Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through the Red Sea, on Aug. 8, 2023. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/U.S. Navy, via AP

The Australian government has backed its decision not to send a naval ship to the Red Sea amid attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis.

This comes after the Labor government signed a joint statement condemning Houthi attacks against commercial vessels transiting the region on Jan. 4.

In late December, news emerged that Australia had denied a request from the United States government to direct a warship to the Red Sea to protect vital trade routes from attacks by the rebels.

On Jan. 8, Acting Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite was asked on whether the government would reconsider the decision, to which he replied, “the government has made a decision.”

He noted Australia has tripled the number of troops in the Middle East and reaffirmed the current priority was in the Indo-Pacific.

“We are making a contribution. We'll be tripling the contingent of Australian troops that are heading there. But at the moment, the government has made a decision that in terms of our maritime priorities, Australia’s priority is to work within our region, particularly in the Asia Pacific,” he said in a television interview on ABC News.

Mr. Thistlethwaite said two-thirds of Australia’s shipping, along with imports and exports to the country come from the Asia Pacific.

“And that’s why the government sees the freedom of navigation exercises that we’re undertaking in particularly the South China Sea, as fundamentally important to protecting those sea lanes for Australian industry,” he said.

Former Labor parliamentarian Michael Danby has spoken out about the decision not to back the United States, saying it will be “noticed” by Washington.

“I’m afraid it will be noticed—by Donald Trump and his advisors who might double the price of the nuclear submarines to Australia or say, ‘We’re not going to deliver them at all,’” he said in an interview with Sky News.

“I think Trump is going to be elected, and he was pretty tough with NATO. I hope Albo and Kevin Rudd should be giving him some better advice as to get on his good side.”

Australia Condemns Houthi Attacks in Red Sea

Australia joined the United States, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom in warning the Houthis against further attacks. 

“We joined a number of other nations on the 3 January this year in condemning the attacks that have been occurring on commercial shipping. In that area, we’ve been pretty forthright in saying that Australia has been part of that international effort to combat that,” Mr. Thistlethwaite said.

The statement described the ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea as “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising.”

Multiple shipping companies, including Maersk, have suspended transit.

Meanwhile, the United States military shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles that were targeting ships in the region on Dec. 30.

The United States Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through the Red Sea, on Aug. 8, 2023. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/U.S. Navy, via AP