US Defence Secretary Urges Australia to Raise Defence Spending to 3.5 Percent of GDP

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the country was working with the United States on the issue.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, on May 31, 2025. Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Australia to substantially boost its defence spending to align more closely with the United States’ strategic objectives in the Pacific region.

During a meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30, Hegseth said the investment would help “maintain peace through strength” in the Indo-Pacific.