Marles Plays Washington’s Game

Australia’s defence policy hijacked by Washington's ambition and domestic silence – again!

Here’s a question Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must answer – why have Australia’s blood and treasure, been called upon and sent to fight overseas in Ukraine, and for what purpose?

It’s a question all Australians should demand an answer to. The likelihood of Australians even knowing is symbolic of the lengths the Government has gone to keep them in the dark and unaware – and the media’s failure to do its job.

Once again, young Australian men and women are being sent, as they have been for decades in other conflicts, to fight in a foreign land 13,084km away, defending Ukraine in a war against Russia – a country that poses no threat to Australia’s sovereignty or security, except perhaps to disrupt the interests of Australia’s master, the US, and its co-belligerent bloc of war-waging nations in NATO.

Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles have effectively committed the lives of young Australians to death or lifelong trauma by once again outsourcing Australia’s foreign policy to the US. With no parliamentary debate, no democratic scrutiny, and virtually no media questioning, Australian personnel have reportedly been deployed under the guise of "training missions" – that story’s been heard before.

Marles has cultivated an image of himself as a global statesman – a polished player in international security forums, handshakes with Pentagon brass, and a seat at the AUKUS table. But beneath the posturing is a defence minister more concerned with appearances globally than protecting Australia’s sovereign interests. His desire to be seen as a loyal lieutenant to the US has dragged Australia deeper into military entanglements we have no strategic need to be in, and no clear way out of.

From his cheerleading of AUKUS to his willingness to deploy troops to Europe with minimal public disclosure, Marles has shown a reckless disregard for transparency, debate, or consent. His conduct reflects a dangerous truth: Australia’s defence policy is no longer set by Canberra, but by the expectations of Washington, Brussels and London. The cost of this outsourcing isn’t just measured in dollars – it’s measured in the lives we place in harm’s way, and the democratic principles we discard along the road to relevance.

The conflict in Ukraine, for all its complexity, is not a war Australia should be involved in, or a war of direct national interest. It’s a proxy war between two global power blocs – the US and its NATO allies on one side, and Russia on the other – with Ukraine caught in the middle. This war has become a geopolitical theatre for Western power projection and arms sales, not a righteous battle for democracy as our leaders would have us believe.

And yet, Australia has committed over $1bn in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, making it one of the largest non-NATO contributors to the war. It’s occurred despite the growing list of domestic issues – cost-of-living crises, a strained health system, soaring housing unaffordability, and worsening climate disasters – which continue to be deprioritised in favour of a militarised foreign agenda.

Albanese’s decision to involve Australia in Ukraine isn’t about defending peace. It’s about securing strategic favour with Washington. It’s about staying in the good books of the Pentagon, the military-industrial complex, and the global order enforced through coercion, surveillance, and arms.

What’s more troubling is that Australians have been offered little to no clarity on what Australian troops are doing in Europe. Are they training Ukrainian soldiers, advising on battlefield strategies, stationed closer to the frontlines, or are they indirectly or even directly engaging in combat roles under foreign command structures?

In March this year, leaked Pentagon documents and foreign press reports suggested Australian special forces were operating in Ukraine alongside their British and American counterparts. The Australian Government refused to confirm or deny the reports, citing operational security. This convenient smokescreen has become a go-to justification for keeping the public uninformed – and it’s unacceptable.

This isn’t a question of left versus right, or supporting Ukraine versus supporting Russia but a question of democratic transparency, national interest, and the ethical use of Australian lives and resources.

There’s been no referendum, no bipartisan parliamentary review, and no clear articulation of goals, risks, or timeframes. Instead, Albanese and Marles have treated war deployment like an executive administrative task – sign a few papers, ship off a few dozen soldiers, and make a photo-op donation of armoured vehicles.

Meanwhile, the media has failed its role. Instead of holding power to account, most outlets have parroted government talking points about “standing up for international rules-based order” and “supporting democracy.” These slogans mean little when they are used selectively – invoked in Ukraine but ignored in Gaza, Yemen, or West Papua.

The result is a zombified political consensus – a bipartisan embrace of US-led militarism, with no dissent permitted and no serious questioning of Australia’s role in advancing global peace or simply enabling endless war.

More tragically, the young men and women sent abroad are doing so under a false banner of honour, when in truth they’re pawns in a deadly game of power and influence.

Albanese owes Australians a clear explanation: What exactly are we doing in Ukraine? How long will we be there? How many soldiers have been deployed? Under whose command are they operating? What are the risks? What happens if one of our own is killed, or captured? What is the exit strategy?

Australians have the right to know those questions and must not stay silent. Another generation can’t be sacrificed at the altar of empire. It’s not Australia’s war and it shouldn’t be Australia’s tragedy.