Australia rejects US plea for ship

Australia has officially denied a US request to send a navy warship to the Red Sea to counter escalating attacks from Houthi rebels, instead tripling its number of shore-based personnel in a bid to secure the critical waterway.

Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed that the government would not send a warship to the Middle East but would instead increase the number of Australian maritime forces staffed in Bahrain from five to 10 and deploy up to six navy personnel to contribute to a new US-led taskforce.

“We won’t be sending a ship or a plane. That said, we will be tripling our contribution to the combined maritime force,” Mr Marles said.

“We need to be clear about our strategic focus, and our strategic focus is our region and the northeast Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Pacific.”

The confirmation follows days of speculation over Australia’s reluctance to participate in the US-led operation, which will include the armed forces of Britain, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy and France.

The expanded operation was created in response to a string of recent missile and drone attacks on oil tankers and container ships sailing through the Red Sea and Suez Canal fired by Houthis, an armed group backed by Iran that controls much of northern Yemen.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham claimed the Albanese government’s handling of the issue had “exposed” Australia to perceptions of indecision.

“I think our partners and allies will want reassurance that we can still be a trusted and reliable partner in other parts of the world,” he said.

“By not saying we don’t have the capacity, it’s unclear whether we are incapable or whether the government is unwilling – and that’s where the government is being inadequate there.”

Australia expressed its diplomatic support for freedom of navigation in the Red Sea in a 44-nation joint declaration signed on Wednesday.