[damsalor]

Aus can hardly antagonize us/uk

[iamtedd]

Don't help our own citizens in trouble, in case we offend a foreign country?

[2a0c40]

Depends on the foreign country. It's the US, so yes.

[Qwertious]

Our core military strategy is to suck up to naval superpowers in hopes they'll include us in their own defense strategy. It's sound policy, but it means that ultimately we can't afford to piss them off.

[coldtea]

It's not just a foreign country, it's their boss.

[m0llusk]

Australia is a long time critical ally of the US that has accumulated significant political and social capital and can expect any requests to be considered seriously.