We’ll need to pay a higher defence premium under Biden

Since World War II Australia has kept secure by paying its premium on the United States-Australia Defence Alliance. This is a formal arrangement, via the ANZUS Treaty, but as New Zealand’s suspension as a member shows, it is not set in concrete and needs to be nurtured.

In return for being one of the US’s most reliable allies, Australia expects and hopes that in the event of any serious threat to our borders, the US will come to our aid. As a result, we don’t field a defence force capable of defending Australia on its own against a major threat, but one that is designed to be more a modular part of an international effort.

While we spend more than many comparable countries on our armed forces, it also gives us the…