Australia Rejects US Request to Join Red Sea Naval Operation

(Bloomberg) -- Australia has rejected a US request for a warship to help protect international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, with Defense Minister Richard Marles saying the nation’s strategic focus had to remain on the Indo-Pacific.

Most Read from Bloomberg

• Hyperloop One to Shut Down After Failing to Reinvent Transit

• Tencent Leads $80 Billion Rout as China Rekindles Crackdown Fear

• Harvard Financial Pain Grows as Blavatnik Joins Donor Revolt

• Vilified Zero-Day Options Blamed by Traders for S&P Decline

• Giuliani Files for Bankruptcy After $148 Million Defamation Loss

Marles, who is also deputy prime minister, told Sky News on Thursday that Australia wouldn’t be sending a “ship or a plane” to the Middle East, but would instead almost triple its troop contribution to the US-led maritime force.

“We need to be really clear around our strategic focus and our strategic focus is our region,” Marles said.

The US this week announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international maritime task force intended to protect trading vessels sailing through the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi militants based in Yemen. Participating countries include the US, UK, France and Canada.

In a post to social media site X on Thursday, Marles said Australia would contribute an additional six Australian Defence Force personnel.

The US is Australia’s closest defense partner, a relationship even further strengthened in 2021 by the Aukus security agreement that will deliver Canberra a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

• One Man’s Longevity Obsession Now Includes Fountain-of-Youth Injections

• What Dermatologists Really Think About Those Anti-Aging Products

• The Most Secretive Longevity Lab Finally Opens Its Doors

• What the Oldest Lab Rodents Are Teaching Humans About Staying Young

• Michael J. Fox and Sergey Brin Take Their Push for a Parkinson’s Cure to the Next Level

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.