Australia's military capabilities are in focus as the government weighs whether — and how — to assist Gulf states facing Iranian retaliatory strikes amid the war in the Middle East
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong revealed Australia had received a request from a non-participant nation in the region, ruling out Israel or the United States — which first struck Iran over a week ago.
She told the ABC's Insiders program the government would not take on an "offensive role against Iran", clarifying that there would be no Australian boots on the ground as it weighs up military assistance in the region.
The National Security Committee met on Monday afternoon, ahead of a cabinet meeting when parliament resumes on Tuesday.
No further details were divulged by Attorney-General Michelle Rowland on Monday, stating that the government would be transparent once it was in "a position to do so".
Deputy Opposition leader Ted O'Brien said the Coalition would consider if the request was in the national interest, once it received a briefing, which it has requested.
"The Coalition is open to the prospect and as far as I'm concerned, the United States and Israel have been doing the heavy lifting for the free world," he told ABC radio.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge argues Australia should take no part in the conflict.
"Yes, we should seek cooperation with the UAE (United Arab Emirates) ... to extract Australians out of the conflict zones," he told SBS News.
"But there is nothing in Australia's national interest which would drive us to put military assets on the ground in the Middle East as this conflict continues to escalate."
Defence experts detailed what assets in Australia's "bare" arsenal cupboard could be deployed to the region — and how they've been used in the past.
How the Australian Defence Force could assist in the Middle East
The six Gulf states face two key issues: direct missile and drone strikes from Iran targeting their infrastructure, and mounting risks to shipping in the the Strait of Hormuz — the vital waterway on Iran's southern border through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas normally flows.
Director of Strategic Analysis Australia, Michael Shoebridge, said Australia's capabilities paled in contrast to those that exist in the Gulf, which has "far more impressive layered systems".
"The Australian military cupboard when it comes to air and missile defence and counter drone defence is pretty bare," he told SBS News.
"That's been an enormous gap in Australia's military capability for years."
Shoebridge suggested an E-7A Wedgetail, which is an airborne early warning and control aircraft, could be deployed to "help direct interceptors and counter drone systems".
He said the gap in the Gulf states capabilities lies in running out of interceptor missiles; however, "we can't help them there".
Jennifer Parker, adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia's Defence and Security Institute, said F-35's could be dispatched to defend the skies from drones and missiles.
She told SBS News that it would provide Australian personnel with good experience of this type of modern warfare, exposing them to "what it's like to operate in that environment and deal with those threats".
Parker also noted the fairly limited air defence capabilities, proposing radar systems to assist in the detection of drones.
The former naval officer said a naval deployment to keep the Strait of Hormuz open is an option, but less likely.
She said the fleet of Anzac frigates is quite old, instead suggesting Australia's three air warfare destroyers are "more advanced and would be very capable".
"That would be a difficult decision for the Australian government because it would impact our preparedness. So I think that is unlikely, although possible," Parker said.
Has Australia assisted the Gulf states before?
Australia has had an "eye on the Middle East" since federation, as it's integral to oil imports and Australia's security, Parker said.
As tensions between the US and Iran escalated in 2019-2020, referred to as the Persian Gulf Crisis, Australia deployed a naval ship to assist.
An Anzac-class frigate and roughly 200 Australian Defence Force personnel were sent to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Parker said Australia sent a large naval task group "to help defend Kuwait" during the 1990 Gulf War.
The nature of warfare has "evolved significantly" since the Gulf War due to the use of ballistic missiles, particularly in the Middle East, she said.
It remains unclear who made the request for assistance, but the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as a frontrunner.
The UAE's foreign ministry has said it is in a "state of defence", having suffered from at least 1,400 missiles and drones from Iran in the last fortnight.
It has also been critical to repatriating Australian citizens, with both the foreign minister and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking to their UAE counterparts last week as a result.
Parker said that "defending those states in the Gulf does not make Australia a party to this international armed conflict under international law."
Dr Jessica Genauer, an associate professor of international relations at Flinders University, said it's a "tricky" situation for Australia to navigate as a middle power, with the US a key ally.
"I would not expect Australia to get directly involved. I definitely would not expect Australia to contribute boots on the ground if occurs at any stage," she said.
"I think the Australian government will try to navigate the line between staying close to the US, but not dragging Australia into a hot military conflict in the Middle East, which is not in our interests."
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