The US National Defence Strategy (NDS), released by the Trump administration on 23 January, demands much more from Australia. It requires greater defence spending and capability development so that Canberra can better support US-led collective defence and deterrence by denial along the first island chain. For Australia’s defence community, this will mean higher US expectations for the Australian Defence Force. Australia isn’t mentioned in the NDS, but the report doesn’t need to call out Australia by name. Australia is better placed to support a US deterrence by denial strategy along the first island chain if it can operate directly from that region.