Japan, Australia has asked to define the role in the potential conflict of American China on Taiwan

The Pentagon would have put pressure on the Indo-Pacific Allies of Japan and Australia to clarify which roles they would play in the event of war with China on Taiwan.

Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon Policy Manager, raised the issue in recent meetings with Japanese and Australian defense officials, the Financial Times reported.

While the United States has long urged Indo-Pacific Allies to increase defense spending while China degenerates its military activity around Taiwan, this pressure for specific warfare commitments is a new development-and has taken foreign officials off guard.

Australia responded by stressing that it did not commit troops before any conflict.

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Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon Policy Manager, raised the issue in recent meetings with Japanese and Australian defense officials, (SOMODEVILLA / GETTY Images)

“The decision to commit Australian troops in a conflict will be taken by the government of the time, not in advance,” said Defense Minister Pat Conroy in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “We will not discuss hypotheses.”

Australia and the United States are currently directing a major joint exercise in Sydney involving 30,000 soldiers from 19 countries.

Pentagon officials have cited NATO’s efforts to stimulate European defense spending as a model for what Asian allies should consider. At the same time, Colby advised European allies to prioritize threats closer to their homes rather than focus on the Indo-Pacific, sources told Fox News Digital.

“Some of our allies may not welcome Frank Conversations,” said Colby on X in response to the report.

“But as the department is clearly and regular, we, in DOD, we focus on the implementation of the president of the president first, a common sense of common sense of restoration of deterrence and to reach peace thanks to force.

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The question of allied commitments is still complicated by the American strategic ambiguity policy, under which Washington does not explicitly stipulate if it would defend Taiwan if China invades.

“As Secretary Hegseth said, the Ministry of Defense focuses on war prevention, with a strong deterrent shield,” wrote the spokesperson for Pentagon Sean Parnell on X to defend Colby’s approach. “This requires strength – but it is a simple fact that our allies must also do their part. We do not seek war. What we are doing is to ensure that the United States and its allies have military strength to subscribe to diplomacy and guarantee peace.”

Former President Joe Biden had repeatedly said that the United States would defend Taiwan, only for the White House staff later to these comments and insists that American politics has not changed.

President Donald Trump has maintained the tradition of ambiguity, refusing to publicly declare how he would react. However, a new audio obtained by CNN revealed that Trump told donors last year that he had threatened both Russia and China with military force.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and the US defense secretary Pete Hegseth examines an honor guard in Tokyo. The United States has asked Japan to clarify how it would help a potential conflict with China. (Images Kiyoshi Ota / Getty)

“With Putin, I said,” If you are going to Ukraine, I will bomb the (explanive) of Moscow “,” said Trump. “‘I tell you. I have no choice.’ And then (Putin) said, like: “I don’t believe you”.

“I said the same thing to (XI),” added Trump. “I said,” If you go to Taiwan, I will bomb the (explanive) of Beijing. “I said,” I have no choice.

At other times, Trump criticized Taiwan’s cost of defense and argued that the island should devote 10% of its defense budget.

Wargaming simulations suggest that Japan would be the most crucial ally for the United States and Taiwan, because South Korea has not authorized US forces to launch combat operations from its territory. Australia does not authorize the permanent foreign military bases, but the United States widen its presence in rotation in Australian installations.

“Japan is always critical, and when I say criticism, as we cannot win the war without them,” said Mark Cancien, defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies regularly, regularly briefs the legislators on China Wargames, in Fox News Digital.

“Their forces are important, but our ability to use our bases in Japan is essential,” he said, adding that other American bases in Indo-Pacific like Guam were too far to serve as a hub.

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The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth (R), meets the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles (L) in the Pentagon in February. Australia refused to say how it would react to a potential war with China. (Getty Images)

The question of whether Japan allows the United States to focus its operations in wartime on its territory would be an essential question to ask in preparations for a possibility in wartime.

The United States and Japan have practiced travel forces in the Japanese channel of the island of Ryukyu, the closest of which is only 80 miles from the Taiwan coast.

Colby’s push for defined allied roles occurs in the heels of its initiation of an Aukus safety pact, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear submarines built by the United States.

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The Pentagon recently defended Colby after information emerged that it temporarily interrupted military aid to Ukraine – an order quickly reversed by Trump.

Under the Aukus agreement, Australia would buy several Virginia class submarines in the early 2030s, while a new class of submarines would be developed jointly by the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Production in Australia is expected to start in the 2040s. However, the United States has already struggled to produce enough submarines for its own navy.