Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge says Australia’s “underwhelming” military contribution to the Red Sea taskforce “cannot be taken seriously as a contribution”.
The Labor government rejected the US Navy’s request to send a warship to the Red Sea to help protect shipping lanes from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in December.
They promised to instead triple the number of ADF personnel at the Combined Maritime Force headquarters in Bahrain from five to 16 – which has not yet happened, as the personnel will only arrive by the end of this month.
“This is just getting more and more underwhelming from the government the more we see of it,” Mr Shoebridge told Sky News contributor Steve Price.
“This really should be about when is an Australian Navy warship joining the Red Sea, and now the Gulf of Aden, security mission to stop the Houthis disrupting international trade.
“Instead, we’re hearing that it takes over a month to move a dozen people from Australia to Bahrain.
“I cannot see how this can be taken seriously as a contribution to a very fast-moving international security issue.”
An Underwhelming Contribution
Australia’s contribution to the Red Sea taskforce has been criticized as “underwhelming” by Michael Shoebridge, Director of Strategic Analysis Australia. He argues that the Australian Labor government’s decision to not send a warship to aid in the protection of shipping lanes from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels is seriously lacking. The government had instead pledged to increase its personnel at the Combined Maritime Force headquarters in Bahrain from five to 16, a promise that has yet to be fulfilled.
Shoebridge expressed his disappointment with the government’s efforts, stating, “This is just getting more and more underwhelming from the government the more we see of it.” He continued, “This really should be about when is an Australian Navy warship joining the Red Sea, and now the Gulf of Aden, security mission to stop the Houthis disrupting international trade.”
The delay in moving the promised personnel from Australia to Bahrain over a month’s time has also been a point of contention for Shoebridge. He concluded by questioning the seriousness of Australia’s contribution to this pressing international security concern.
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