Lambie Warns Australia 'Absolutely Exhausted' for Potential China-Taiwan Conflict

Credit: Sen. Jacqui Lambie FB page

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie delivered a stark assessment of Australia's military readiness Monday, declaring the nation's defense forces are "absolutely exhausted" and unprepared for potential conflict over Taiwan as tensions escalate in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking on Sky News following her narrow re-election to the Senate, Lambie warned that two decades of Middle East deployments have left Australian forces in no condition for a major conflict, contradicting recent calls from incoming U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for increased defense spending.

"Right now, our troops are not in the condition to be in a war zone," Lambie told Sky News. "OK, maybe peacekeeping, but sure as hell not in a war zone, mate. No way in hell."

The Tasmanian senator's comments come amid growing concerns about Chinese military ambitions toward Taiwan, with Hegseth recently claiming China could move on the island by 2027. When asked whether Australia could provide meaningful assistance if the United States requested help in such a scenario, Lambie was blunt.

"No, I don't believe there is much help," she said. "We are absolutely exhausted. 20 years we've followed them into the Middle East. We are still picking up the pieces from that, and we will be picking that up, I reckon, in the next five years, without doubt."

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