Australia is sending a surveillance plane and air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the government saying the move is about protecting civilians and Australians in the middle of the ongoing strikes in the region. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is stressing that Australia is not joining any strikes on Iran and will not send troops onto Iranian soil.
The deployment centres on an E‑7A Wedgetail, a high-tech radar aircraft that can track what’s happening in the sky and help coordinate other planes in the area. It will be sent to the Middle East for an initial four-week mission, along with about 85 Australian Defence Force personnel who are due to leave Australia and be operational within days. The Wedgetail will fly above the Gulf region to monitor airspace and give early warning if missiles or drones are launched.
On top of that, Australia will provide the UAE with medium-range air-to-air missiles, after a direct request from UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed. These missiles are designed to shoot down incoming aircrafts or drones, and are being sent as Iran continues missile and drone attacks on several Gulf states, including strikes that have hit parts of Dubai. The government is describing the package as “defensive military assistance” and says Australia is not becoming a combatant in the war.
A big part of the argument for getting involved is the number of Australians in the region. “The first priority of my government is and always will be to keep Australians safe. There are around 115,000 Australians in the Middle East, around 24,000 of those in the UAE,” Albanese said.
“Helping Australians means helping the UAE and other nations to defend themselves. We are not protagonists. What we are doing is providing for the defence of the UAE and of Australian citizens.”
He has also said “our involvement is purely defensive”, and that Australia’s role is to support partners and protect Australians on the ground.
The opposition hasn’t formally signed off on the move yet, but there are early signs it will back the deployment. Coalition frontbencher Dan Tehan told ABC Radio National that “absolutely it’s the right thing in principle for Australia to be doing”, saying the country should help keep the region safe and work towards ending the conflict.
This all comes off the back of escalations on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in a joint operation targeting military and leadership sites, and Iran hit back with missile and drone attacks across the Gulf. Since then, Australia has backed US efforts and has confirmed communication with US President Donald Trump.
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