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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Sarah Basford Canales

Albanese again pushes back on US demand for Australia to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP

United States Australia Pete Hegseth GDP Richard Marles Anthony Albanese AUKUS Donald Trump
Anthony Albanese
‘What you should do in defence is decide what you need, your capability, and then provide for it. That’s what my government is doing,’ Anthony Albanese (pictured last week) said on Monday. Photograph: Russell Freeman/AAP

Anthony Albanese has again sidestepped US calls for Australia to drastically increase its defence budget, now by about $40bn more each year, amid warnings from the Trump administration over China’s plans.

The US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, met Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles over the weekend in Singapore as part of the Shangri-la Dialogue.

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