US urges Australia and regional allies to increase military spending, warning that time is running out to deter Beijing
With the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific looming, the Pentagon has issued a clear message - deterrence against China must become a collective priority.
Senior US defence officials are looking to fortify military ties across the Indo-Pacific, with a pointed focus on Canberra and Tokyo.
'We need our allies to step up,' a US defence official told the Australian.
'How does it make sense for our Asian allies to sit back while the Europeans are stepping up and committing to 5 per cent of GDP to deal with Russia, which is one tenth the GDP of China?'
While NATO members agreed in June to lift defence spending to five per cent of GDP, Washington sees Asian partners as lagging behind.
South Korea has been singled out as a model ally, praised for its robust defence budget and substantial standing forces.
Australia, by contrast, is facing criticism from US officials who argue Canberra is not investing enough, even to fulfil its commitments under AUKUS Pillar 1, which involves acquiring at least three US-built Virginia-class nuclear submarines.
'On defence spending, the objective analysis is that the Australian government is not spending enough on defence, even for Pillar I,' the official continued. 'This is a very real near-term problem. We have essentially no time in defence terms before 2027.'
The year 2027 is viewed within the Pentagon as a key strategic benchmark, with intelligence suggesting Beijing could be in a position to launch an attempt to take Taiwan by then.
In Washington, there's growing unease that Australia may not be pulling its weight. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's recent Curtin Oration, in which he praised former PM John Curtin for resisting pressure from wartime leaders Churchill and Roosevelt, has reportedly triggered concerns among Trump-aligned figures.
The speech was seen as a subtle signal of resistance to rising American expectations, especially in light of mounting calls for Australia to commit more resources to AUKUS and the wider regional deterrence posture.
Inside the Pentagon, key strategic goals include strengthening homeland defence, reinvigorating the US industrial base, countering China's growing assertiveness, and ensuring allies 'do more to pick up slack'.
The ongoing AUKUS review, led by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, is being described as 'fact-based, rigorous, and empirical'.
It covers both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2, the latter focused on sharing advanced defence technologies with Australia and the UK.
'I think the main thrust of the review is to give people a real brass-tacks, clear-eyed understanding of where things stand,' a US official explained.
Australia has already pledged $1.6 billion to support the US shipbuilding sector under the AUKUS framework.
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