Australia will send a hi-tech military plane to join an international mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but the Labor government has not ruled out sending more assets to the Middle East. Defence Minister Richard Marles joined an overnight meeting of defence ministers from 40 other countries to discuss global efforts to reopen the key shipping channel, which has been closed or heavily restricted since the beginning of the US-Israel assault in February.
Marles said the meeting resolved to back “collective diplomatic, economic and military capabilities to support freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”. He added: “Australia stands ready to support an independent and strictly defensive multinational military mission, led by the United Kingdom and France, once it is established. Our intention is to contribute Australia’s world-leading E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to this defensive effort.”
The Wedgetail – accompanied by approximately 85 Australian Defence Force staff – was deployed to the United Arab Emirates in March in a defensive capacity to help protect Gulf nations from Iranian attacks. The surveillance plane has been feeding information to the Combined Air Operations Centre in Qatar, but Australian officials maintain it is not assisting the US in offensive capabilities. Initially deployed for four weeks, the Wedgetail has already had its deployment extended once and is likely to remain in the region.
Later on Wednesday, Marles told parliament that Australia would continue speaking with the UK and France “about how else we can contribute” to the mission. The government in March also announced it would provide advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (Amraams) to the UAE, with $6.6m allocated in the 2025–26 budget for that purpose. Marles said a “defensive military mission” would be required to safeguard freedom of navigation in the strait, noting that “the longer this conflict goes on the more significant the impact on Australia will be”.
