Australia’s deputy prime minister said the nation will base defense spending on national interest, amid calls by President Donald Trump for U.S. Indo-Pacific allies to increase military budgets.
Richard Marles, who serves concurrently as Australia’s defense minister, will join NATO leaders for meetings in the coming week at the Hague. "There will inevitably be conversations around defense spending,” he said in a Sky News Australia interview Sunday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Australia to increase its defense budget, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to encourage allies to raise it toward 5% of gross domestic product. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the nation would determine its own levels of military expenditure.
"We will have a respectful conversation with the United States, of course we will do that, and of course we will determine our own defense spending based on Australia’s national interest,” Marles said.
When asked if Australia needs a stronger military deterrent for China, Marles said: "We are building a defense force with a very clear strategic objective, and that strategic objective is to be able to deter the coercion of any potential adversary.”
The Australian government is currently aiming to increase defense spending to 2.4% of gross domestic product by the financial year ending 2034, a significant boost but below what Trump seeks from U.S. allies.
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