A senior American defence official has dismissed the idea of an emerging alliance of so-called “middle powers” including Australia, arguing that traditional US security partners would be wasting time pursuing a strategy to become less dependent on Washington.

The Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, a long-standing critic of AUKUS plans to transfer nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, has argued that nations seeking closer cooperation outside the US-led order lack the cohesion to do so.

In a series of posts on social media overnight, the Trump appointee and outspoken Pentagon figure declared there was “a great deal of hubbub about a collective ‘middle powers’ strategy these days.

“At (the Department of War), we are not concerned that this is a serious possibility. Rather, we are more concerned that a few allies and partners will think it is and waste valuable time, money, and political capital on a distraction,” Colby wrote on X.

“From our point of view, a collective middle powers strategy is based on a faulty understanding of international relations. We are flexible realists. So, we view the international scene through the prism of interest, geography, economics, military power, etc. ‘Middle powers’ don’t have a coherent basis for alignment.”

“It also isn’t borne out by reality, in our experience. We see an *upsurge* in desire for engagement with the United States, not a reduction,” the Under Secretary official argued.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, countries not only see the value of American engagement, they can no longer take it for granted. We unquestionably see an incredibly strong and continuing demand signal for US military presence and engagement around the world.”

Colby also declared that “American companies are at the forefront of advanced technology” and argued there was “no credible free-world alternative to American tech and its implications for defence”.

“The simple fact of the matter is that no alternative country or countries can compete with the US defence industrial base, either in quantity or quality.”

The Under Secretary did not name any specific country in his comments, but they come as NATO partners forge closer strategic ties in response to growing doubts about Washington’s commitment to the long-standing military alliance.

Earlier this year Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the US-led global system of governance was enduring “a rupture”, defined by great power competition and urged middle powers to unite to avoid economic coercion.

“Stop invoking the ‘rules-based international order’ as though it still functions as advertised,” Carney told the World Economic Forum in January in a speech that won praise from Albanese government figures.

‘Great powers’ are widely viewed as the permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US, which boast the largest military, political and economic clout.

Countries such as Australia, Japan and Canada are considered to occupy the tranche below known as ‘middle powers’, while nations like Brazil and Indonesia are increasingly grouped in the category of the ‘Global South’ because of their growing influence.

Over the past year, Colby has been linked to Trump administration decisions including pausing military aid to Ukraine, withdrawing troops from Romania and reviewing the AUKUS partnership with Australia and the UK.

Last year Colby oversaw a snap examination into the proposed transfer of the Virginia-class submarines to Australia to ensure the move aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda.

In October President Trump declared the AUKUS deal was “full steam ahead” but Pentagon insiders have told The Nightly they believe Colby remains sceptical of the arrangement, while insisting his political influence is waning.

Just last month Australia signed its biggest military export deal on record to supply a locally developed radar known as JORN to Canada, a year after the North American nation announced plans to acquire the world-leading technology.

Following the signing, Canadian Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Steven Fuhr declared his country and Australia had “stood shoulder-to-shoulder for generations” but added “we’ll continue to work with the Americans”.

“That’s not going to change, but the relationship is different. We have great partners in other places in the world — this being a very good example of it with this radar — and I’m sure there’ll be much, much more to do”.

The Albanese government declined to comment on Colby’s overnight statements when approached by The Nightly, but back in February Defence Minister Richard Marles assured the Secretary that Australia wanted to be “a better ally to the United States”.

Appearing alongside Colby in Munich, Defence Minister Richard Marles declared that “we totally understand the conversation of burden sharing that America is going through with its partners and to build stronger allies”.