US asks Australia to increase defense spending to 3 5 of GDP

WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Australia to increase its defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product during a meeting with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

The defense chiefs also discussed security issues including accelerating U.S. defense capabilities in Australia, advancing defense industrial base cooperation and creating supply chain resilience, the Defense Department said in a statement.

On defense spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP as soon as possible, the statement said.

The ministers meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asias premier security forum, is only the second between the security allies since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.

Marles said after the meeting they did not discuss a specific percentage of GDP to raise Australian defense spending. REUTERS

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