The top military commander for the United States in the Indo-Pacific has flown into Canberra for high-level talks just days after warning his nation needs more naval firepower in the region to match an “increasingly aggressive” China.
Sources have told The Nightly that Admiral Samuel Paparo, who is soon due to finish up as the Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in Hawaii, flew into Australia on Sunday from Fiji.
His visit comes just days after a representative of INDOPACOM told a closed-door defence gathering in Canberra that Australia should give “early” notice if it won’t support future US military operations.
Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Last month, Admiral Paparo also told the Senate’s Armed Services Committee in Washington that the US needed to “supercharge” the production of ships, weaponry and other equipment to deter Chinese aggression in the region.
“I don’t have enough amphibious ships. We don’t have enough surface destroyers. We certainly don’t have enough attack submarines, and our trajectory is on the wrong side,” Admiral Paparo told the committee on April 22.
During his testimony, the admiral gave an upbeat assessment about upgrade work at Western Australia’s HMAS Stirling base, where American and British nuclear-powered submarines will begin AUKUS rotations from next year.
During his final formal visit to Australia, Admiral Paparo is also expected to head to Western Australia to tour HMAS Stirling which he has declared is ready to host US nuclear-powered submarines.
The US Embassy and Albanese government are yet to comment on the Admiral’s meetings in Canberra, which coincide with a visit from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also expected to raise concerns about China’s military rise in the region.
