 "US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Reuters File")
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called on Australia to increase its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product, according to a Pentagon statement Sunday.
Hegseth requested talks with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. The two also discussed key security topics, including accelerating the deployment of US defense capabilities in Australia, enhancing cooperation between their defense industries, and strengthening supply chain resilience.
The meeting highlights ongoing efforts to deepen military ties amid growing strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
”On defense spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The ministers’ meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
Marles said after the meeting they did not discuss a specific percentage of GDP to raise Australian defense spending.
With inputs from agencies