Key facts
- Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described the US alliance as a "force multiplier" but also a "seismic challenge" due to China's rise.
- Rudd declined to state whether Australia would automatically support the US in a potential war with China over Taiwan.
- The US military and its defense industrial interests control or have access to over 100 military bases across Australia.
- US nuclear-capable bombers use Australian airfields for global missions.
- Nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines will port through HMAS Stirling from next year.
- Author David Vine stated that hosting US bases turns a country into an "automatic target" and makes it complicit in US military actions.
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has articulated concerns about Australia's deepening entanglement with the US military, particularly in light of China's growing influence and the potential for conflict in the region. Speaking at the National Press Club, Rudd described the alliance with the United States as a crucial "force multiplier" for Australia's defense needs but also a significant challenge, especially as China continues its rise and the US debates its future global role.
Rudd emphasized the necessity of national self-reliance to navigate future uncertainties, even while acknowledging the alliance's importance. When pressed on whether Australia would automatically be drawn into a US-led conflict with China over Taiwan, a scenario he judged to have a "one in three" chance by 2028, Rudd employed a "classic duck and weave," declining to provide a direct answer.
Recent data published by The Guardian reveals an extensive US military footprint in Australia, with over 100 bases controlled or accessed by US military and defense interests. This enmeshment has accelerated, with US nuclear-capable bombers operating from Australian soil and nuclear-powered submarines set to use HMAS Stirling near Perth from next year. Despite the Australian government, through Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, reaffirming the US as its "closest ally and principal strategic partner" for over seven decades, a growing number of strategists and analysts argue this increased reliance makes Australia less safe.
Critics like author David Vine contend that the expanded US military presence transforms Australia into an "automatic target" and implicates the nation in any US military action. Vine suggests that rather than deterring adversaries, such build-ups escalate conflict risks and demonstrate preparation for an "inevitable" war with China, driven by a US military establishment that has historically supported failed strategies. Similarly, Dr. Van Jackson, a former strategic adviser in the US Department of Defense, described Australia's geography as "immensely useful" for US power projection and rear-area support in potential conflicts, suggesting the US "exploits" alliances for access to bases, ports, and airspace, with allied contributions being secondary to US interests.