Beneath the Mateship, a Quiet Crisis Is Brewing in the U.S.-Australia Alliance
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
“There is little question that Australia will need to find some way to boost its defense spend. This is not just a question of mollifying Trump and the Pentagon. The fact is, Australia under its current budget cannot afford both the full scope of investments envisioned under AUKUS and the other needed investments in conventional capabilities. Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have moved toward a record AU$55.7 billion (U.S. $36.8 billion) defense budget for the next fiscal year, a 6.3 percent increase but one that equates to 2.02 percent of GDP and falls short of their publicly stated goal of 2.3 percent by 2033–2034. ”
“Unlike the U.S.-Japan alliance, where roles, missions, and wartime operational control are much more clearly delineated, a real-world crisis will throw much of this decisionmaking between Canberra and Washington into the realm of politics. Americans and Australians have a long history of fighting shoulder to shoulder, beginning with the Battle of Hamel in 1918 when U.S. forces even served under an Australian commander, General Sir John Monash. What they do not have is a deep history of divvying up roles and missions as part of a combined operational concept.”
https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/06/us-australia-alliance-quiet-crisis