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Pentagon Japan and Australia’s Indo-Pacific allies reportedly forced them to clarify the role they would play in the case of a war with China in Taiwan.
Pentagon policy director Elbridge Colby raised the issue in a recent meeting with Japanese and Australian defence officials.
Although the United States has long urged Indo-Pacific allies to increase defense spending as China’s military activity escalates around Taiwan, such push toward specific wartime commitments is a new development that has reportedly caught foreign officials off guard.
Australia’s response was to stress that it would not impose troops before any conflict occurred.
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Pentagon policy director Elbridge Colby raised the issue at a recent meeting with Japanese and Australian defence officials (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The decision to impose conflicts on Australian forces will be made by today’s government,” Defense Secretary Pat Conroy told the ABC. “We won’t discuss assumptions.”
Australia and the United States are currently leading a major joint exercise in Sydney, involving 30,000 soldiers from 19 countries.
Pentagon officials quoted NATOWork to make European defense spending an example that Asian allies should consider. Meanwhile, Colby has advised European allies to prioritize threats rather than focus on the Indo-Pacific, sources told Fox News Digital.
“Some of us allies may not welcome candid conversations,” Colby answered the report on X.
“But with the massive and consistent clarity of the department, we at the Department of Defense are focused on implementing the President’s first, common sense agenda of the United States, namely, restoring deterrence and achieving peace through forces. This includes urging allies to strengthen their defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense.”
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The U.S. strategic ambiguity policy further complicates the issue of Allied commitments, and Washington has not made it clear whether it will defend Taiwan if China invades.
“As Secretary Heggs said, the focus of the Department of Defense is to prevent war, with a strong deterrent shield,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote on X. “It takes strength – but it’s the simple fact that our allies must do their best, too. We don’t seek war. What we are doing is to ensure that the United States and its allies have military power that can assume diplomacy and ensure peace.”
Former President Joe Biden has repeatedly stated that the United States will defend Taiwan, only to make White House staff retreat from these comments in the future, and insisted that US policy has not changed.
president Donald Trump Keeping the tradition of ambiguity, refusing to publicly announce how he will respond. But new audio obtained by CNN shows that Trump told donors last year that he threatened Russia and China with military power.
Japanese Defense Secretary Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reviewed a Guard of Honor in Tokyo. The United States has asked Japan to clarify how it will help potential conflicts with China. (kiyoshi ota/getty image)
“With Putin I said, ‘If you enter Ukraine, I will bomb Moscow (the Jewish).'” “‘I tell you. I have no choice.’ Then (Putin) left, like, “I don’t believe you.” “But he trusts me 10%.
“I said the same thing to[xi].” “I said, ‘If you enter Taiwan, I will bomb Beijing’s (experts).’ I said, “I have no choice.”
At other times, Trump criticized the cost of defending Taiwan and believed that the island should devote 10% of its budget to national defense.
War Simulation Since South Korea has not authorized the U.S. military to launch combat operations from its territory, it is recommended that Japan be the most critical ally of the United States and Taiwan. Australia does not allow permanent foreign military bases, but the United States is expanding its rotation status in Australian facilities.
“Japan is always crucial, and when I say critical, like without war, we won’t be able to win war,” Mark Cancian, a defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Wargames, who often introduces lawmakers in the Chinese war game.
“Their power is important, but our ability to use bases in Japan is crucial,” he said, adding that other bases in the Indo-Pacific region like Guam are too far away to be used as hubs.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of Defense Richard Mars (L) in February at the Pentagon. Australia declined to say how it will deal with a potential war with China. (Getty Image)
Whether Japan allows the United States to concentrate its wartime operations on its territory is a key question and can certainly be raised in terms of accidental preparations during wartime.
The United States and Japan have already implemented troops along the Japanese Lujing Island chain, which is only 80 miles closest to the Taiwan coast.
Colby Review Aukus Security Pact, It aims to provide Australia with American-made nuclear-powered submarines.
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The Pentagon recently reported that he temporarily stopped military aid to Ukraine – a order that quickly reversed Trump’s order.
Under the Aukus agreement, Australia will purchase several Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s, while the United States, Britain and Australia will jointly develop a new class of submarines. Production in Australia is expected to begin in the 2040s. However, the United States is already producing enough submarines for its own navy.
