Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, minister says

The Manila Times

Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, minister says  Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said on Sunday, July 13, responding to a report that the Pentagon has pressed its ally to clarify what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan.  Australia prioritizes its sovereignty and "we don't discuss hypotheticals," Conroy said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  The Financial Times reported on Saturday, July 12, that Elbridge Colby, the US under-secretary of defense for policy, has been pushing Australian and Japanese defense officials on what they would do in a Taiwan conflict, although the US does not offer a blank check guarantee to defend Taiwan.  Conroy added Australia was concerned about China's military buildup of nuclear and conventional forces, and wants a balanced Indo-Pacific region where no country dominates.  VIDEO BY AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION / REUTERS  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #themanilatimes #tmtnews #worldnews

Transcript

00:00Well, first, I don't disclose confidential discussions, but I make a couple of broad points.

00:05One, we don't engage in hypotheticals, we don't discuss hypotheticals, but secondly,

00:10the decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day.

00:16Not in advance, but by the government of the day, and that's our position and it's been long established.

00:21Well, again, I'm not going to foreshadow everything that the Prime Minister will or won't say,

00:25but the conversation with his counterparts will cover economic security and human rights issues.

00:31We've been very clear about that, but we are being very clear that we want a balanced region

00:36where no one is dominated and no one dominates.

00:39We're seeing in my portfolio of the Pacific, China seeking to secure a military base in the region,

00:45and we're working very hard to be the primary security partner of choice for the region

00:49because we don't think that's a particularly optimal thing for Australia.

00:53Yeah, well, I'm happy to say that my most up-to-date information is that they are not observing

00:59the exercise, but the exercise hasn't started yet.

01:02It starts today.

01:03Have they?

01:03But I'm being very frank with you that it would be unusual for them not to observe it,

01:10and we'll adjust accordingly.

01:11Well, it means that we will obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence

01:16around Australia, but we'll also adjust how we conduct those exercises.

01:21People observe these exercises to collect intelligence around procedures,

01:28around the electronic spectrum and the use of communications,

01:33and we'll adjust accordingly so that we manage that leakage.

01:38Well, I think it'll be a two-way process, but when we conduct these exercises,

01:42we're always cognizant that they're being observed by people who want to collect information

01:46about how we work with our allies, how we communicate with our allies and partners,

01:52and you manage that accordingly in a sensitive way.

01:54That's what the Australian people would expect our Australian Defence Force to do,

01:58and we'll continue to do that.

01:59But again, I'll say that the Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017,

02:05and it'd be very unusual if they didn't do that this time.

02:35So, let's go.

02:36So, let me know.

02:37Let's go.

02:38You

Category

Transcript

Recommended