Australia's Wedgetail in UAE: Defense or Offense?

0:00This is Cory with the story, and here's what is making news across Sydney right now. Australia has deployed a Royal Australian Air Force E7A Wedge Tail surveillance plane to the United Arab Emirates to help defend against attacks from Iran. The mission includes 85 defense personnel and air-to-air missiles to support the Gulf States. Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed the plane's powerful radar tracks, airborne and sea targets over a huge area. The intelligence gather flows to a joint military center in Qatar, where the United States helps coordinate air operations. This setup allows the U.S. to potentially use the data for strikes on Iranian targets, like missile launch sites. Government official stress. This is purely defensive, aimed at protecting Australian citizens and others in the region from Iranian drones and missiles. They say sharing the info ensures better coordinated defenses for the Gulf countries. Including Green Senator David Shubridge argue it's not just defensive.

1:01They claim the Wedge tail spots launch sites that feed into U.S. counter strikes, making Australia part of offensive actions against Iran. Experts like Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute see it differently. He says pinpointing and targeting Iranian launch systems denies them the ability to attack, keeping it defensive at its core. The mission continues with that focus. This story is made possible by our sponsor. See the episode description. You know what is better than earbuds in bed? No earbuds at all. S-O-L-I, solelypillo.com.