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.
“On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP as soon as possible,” a statement from the Pentagon read.
The ministers also discussed other key priorities for the U.S.-Australia alliance, including accelerating U.S. defence capabilities in Australia, strengthening defence industrial base cooperation between the two countries, and creating supply chain resilience….