Australia will send an E-7 Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, air-to-air missiles, and approximately 85 defence personnel to the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday. The deployment follows a request from UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, made during a phone call with Albanese last week, and discussions with US President Donald Trump overnight.
Albanese stressed that the assistance is defensive in nature, aimed at protecting Australians in the region from “unprovoked attacks” by Iran. “My government has been clear that we’re not taking offensive action against Iran, and we’ve been clear that we are not deploying Australian troops on the ground in Iran,” he said. The aircraft will provide long-range reconnaissance to help secure Gulf airspace on an initial four-week deployment.
About 115,000 Australian citizens and permanent residents are in the Middle East, including 24,000 in the UAE. The prime minister said the government is working on contingencies to keep Australians safe and help travellers leave the region. The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, welcomed the move, stating it shows allies working together to push back against a “despotic regime”.
However, the Greens criticised the deployment, with leader Larissa Waters warning it risks dragging Australia into “another US forever war”. “To keep civilians safe we should be urging peace, not sending missiles,” she said. The defence minister, Richard Marles, noted the E-7 Wedgetail is a world-leading reconnaissance and command aircraft, previously stationed in Poland to assist Ukraine.
