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Admiral David Johnston knows how to deliver a difficult message.

Australia’s chief of defence invited journalists to the sprawling Russell complex in Canberra this week, ahead of the imminent release of the new national defence strategy.

Approaching 50 years in uniform, Johnston was the boss of joint operations between 2014 and 2018, when Australian fighter jets were at work targeting Islamic State in the Middle East.

When Australian pilots dropped bombs that caused unintended civilian casualties in Iraq – including the possible death of a child – in 2017, it fell to Johnston to front the media.

Now approaching the end of his two-year term as the country’s most senior military officer, on Thursday he reflected on the global fallout from the conflict in Iran.

With relative ease, Johnston explained the difficult calculations going on behind the scenes as US President Donald Trump wages an unpopular and disruptive war, and lashes key allies, including Australia, for not offering assistance.

The federal government would do well to listen to Johnston’s message, and to consider his approach to answering complex and important questions. Instead of the cynical jibber-jabber so frequently offered up by politicians, explaining Australia’s position on the war with clarity and nuance is the least voters should expect from Anthony Albanese and Labor.

Amid the barrage of Trump’s seemingly daily insults on social media, questions about whether Australia would contribute to an international mission to reopen the strategic strait of Hormuz have dogged the government throughout the conflict.

Despite starting the war without any warning or consultation, Trump quickly attacked allies for not assisting America, even while claiming he had everything in hand and didn’t need any help anyway.

Labor has insisted the White House had not asked for anything beyond a limited defensive deployment of the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to the United Arab Emirates.

Johnston was much more expansive when discussing the war.

He explained that Australia was prioritising its presence in the Indo-Pacific over more active involvement in the Gulf, not least because China is closely watching as the US relocates significant military firepower away from the region.

Without weasel words or qualifications, Johnston said he was “very confident” Australia could deploy a ship for the Hormuz effort, should the government decide to take part. But he questioned whether it would be in the country’s strategic interest to do so.

“The United States has moved enormous military capacity into the Gulf region at the moment, including a lot of capacity out of the Indo-Pacific,” Johnston said. “This is an important time for us to be present in the Indo-Pacific to maintain that regional environment that we seek to maintain.”

As the Greens, crossbench MPs, Liberals including Andrew Hastie, and the Nationals leader, Matt Canavan, all call out Trump, Johnston also gave the government some much needed help on explaining the work of the Wedgetail and the 85 defence personnel sent to operate it.

The specialist surveillance plane, he explained, was collecting badly needed intelligence about drones and other airborne threats to Gulf countries, and crews were carefully assessing what information gleaned from the conflict could be shared with partners including the US. Importantly, they are filtering information that needs to be withheld in order not to contribute to offensive operations by the US and Israel.

Albanese and the defence minister, Richard Marles, might not have been upfront about extending the deployment beyond the initial four-week commitment had the prime minister not been asked about the plans before departing for Singapore on Thursday.

“The Wedgetail will be staying in the region for a period of time,” Albanese said, without offering any more explanation.

One sign of just how effective Johnston’s answers were came from Marles himself on Friday. On Radio National Breakfast, he was citing Johnston to explain some of the considerations required as China increasingly throws its weight around in the Indo-Pacific. Marles said Labor maintained “a laser‑like focus” on the strategic landscape.

Albanese missed another opportunity when he was asked about the other big news of the week – war crimes charges against Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier.

In a press conference shortly after the news of Roberts-Smith’s arrest at Sydney Airport on Tuesday, Albanese insisted he wouldn’t comment on the matter as it would soon be before the courts. Transcripts issued by his media team referred to the case only as “former ADF member charged”.

By contrast, the Australian Federal Police commissioner, Krissy Barrett, went out of her way to stress the presumption of innocence for the SAS veteran and praise the work of Australia’s military. Barrett said it was a day to rally behind defence force members, and to be mindful of the families of Australians who had died while serving the country.

By the end of the week, Albanese followed suit, pointing out the design of Canberra’s central triangle includes the legally protected line of sight from the Australian War Memorial, across Lake Burley Griffin and all the way to the prime minister’s own desk at Parliament House. To the frustration of some in his own party, Albanese is cautious by nature, and often follows the lead of others when it comes to sensitive topics.

Defence is not a pillar of transparency in Canberra. Seeking straightforward and timely information from bureaucrats can be like pulling teeth. It was revealed earlier this month that the government was bringing to an end an annual report on delays and cost blowouts in major defence projects, produced annually by the auditor-general since 2008. The report has previously highlighted about $80bn in projects currently running a combined 30 years behind schedule. The anti-transparency move looks set to be overturned by the Senate.

Adm David Johnston’s comments about the Iran war and the state of the world were valuable and informative this week.

As the country and the world pays the price for Trump’s decisions, the government could follow Johnston’s lead and speak more clearly, more often.

• Tom McIlroy is Guardian Australia’s political editor