Defence chief confirms Australia could absolutely do thing nobody has asked it to do

ABC News · Tom Lowrey · Thursday 9 April 2026

Defence chief confirms Australia could absolutely do thing nobody has asked it to do

Australia's chief of defence says the ADF could deploy a warship to the Strait of Hormuz if the government requested it, amid rising tensions over Iran and US pressure on allies to contribute to regional security operations.

The defence chief says we could absolutely send a warship to the Hormuz if asked, which has the same energy as a bloke at the pub announcing he could absolutely fight the bouncer if provoked. Nobody doubted the ship floats, mate. The question is who decides where it sails, and the answer — as always — is whoever rings from Washington.

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