Former defence minister and ambassador to the United States Kim Beazley says the Turnbull government should grant a request for more troops to be sent to war-torn Afghanistan.
With a resurgent Taliban and strengthened Islamic State, NATO has asked Australia to contribute to a surge of allied forces in the country, where Australian military personnel are already serving in training, support and security.
On Friday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government was "actively considering" the request, which forms part of a drive by the multilateral military alliance to find a few thousand more troops for the 16-year-old conflict.
Mr Beazley - who also served as deputy prime minister and opposition leader during his time in Parliament and recently vacated his diplomatic posting in Washington DC - said the request was uncontroversial, given Australia's existing commitment of 270 personnel.
"We have a lot invested in that Afghan operation so I imagine the Turnbull government would be looking at [the request] pretty favourably," he told Fairfax Media.
"I would hope they would look on it, given the context, of being within the framework of what we're already doing. I think we'd probably want to do it."
Defence Minister Marise Payne said Australia was already making a substantial contribution to the global effort against terrorism.
"We are consulting with defence officials and relevant agencies and will make a considered decision in due course," Senator Payne said.
"It is in Australia's national interest to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again become a safe haven for terrorists."
Fairfax Media understands any Australian boost would be small and limited to non-combat, supporting positions.
Mr Beazley said a further commitment was unlikely to "change the character of the role, just the extent of it" but that there are always risks when sending soldiers into conflict zones.
Rodger Shanahan, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute and former army officer in Afghanistan, said Australia was committed to staying until 2020 so should achieve everything it can in that time.
"If that requires a temporary, limited addition of resources, you can argue that case is valid," he said.
Reinforcing alliances with the US and other NATO member countries will also be a consideration for the government as President Donald Trump pushes for an enlarged fight against terrorist group.
"Fighting season" - when combatants become more active as winter subsides - is approaching and Mr Trump is reportedly considering a plan that would significantly expand the US military operation and seek to force the Taliban back to the negotiating table.
The hardline Islamic group has made gains in recent years, overcoming Afghan forces and seizing back territory. More than 13,000 personnel are serving in international coalition forces in the country, roughly half of whom are American.
Forty-two Australians died serving in the conflict between 2002 and 2013. Australia's commitment reduced significantly after that, when forces left Uruzgan province.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that, under a request from military chiefs to NATO for a few thousand troops, the operation would continue to be a "train, assist and advise operation".
During an April visit to the region, Mr Turnbull said Australia had a "long-term commitment" to the operation and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani??? said the Islamic State threat was now relentless and could multiply like "cancer cells".
Outgoing Secretary of Defence Dennis Richardson said on Friday that a long-term military presence in Afghanistan was "sensible" and necessary.
"We have now moved beyond the involvement in the direct fighting phase. We are now placing emphasis on building the Afghan forces themselves and that will take a long, long time," Mr Richardson said.
