Australia Goes on the Offensive: Billions Allocated for Military as China Tensions Build
by Simon Kent
Australia announced a major military investment program Wednesday, beefing up its long-range missile strike capabilities and airbases amid escalating regional tensions with China, reinforcing Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s commitment to an “open, sovereign Indo-Pacific, free from coercion and hegemony.”
Morrison earmarked $270 billion for new and upgraded capabilities over the next decade — a nearly 40 percent increase — saying the military would significantly shift its focus to projecting regional power and enhancing its alliance with U.S. forces.
The plan includes major upgrades to the Tindal RAAF airbase in the Northern Territory that Morrison has previously described as “the sharp end of the spear” for joint Australian and U.S. air operations in the Indo-Pacific.
“We must face the reality that we have moved into a new and less benign strategic era,” Morrison said in a major policy speech in Canberra, eyeing the rise of an increasingly assertive China.
“Even as we stare down the COVID pandemic at home, we need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous and that is more disorderly.”
Australia’s defence capability is set to increase dramatically following a $270 billion investment in our military. Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP will today unveil plans for a major upgrade to the country’s defence systems. https://t.co/MBhdbFBMT2 @olivialeeming #auspol #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/DjGDGT2GNO
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) June 30, 2020