Australia has announced the biggest defense overhaul in its modern history amid a growing military threat from Communist China, the country’s media reported Monday.
“Australia has unveiled the biggest strategic shift in its military posture since the second world war to adapt to China’s military build-up in the region,” the British newspaper Financial Times noted. “The defence pivot is anticipated to cost A$19bn (US$12.7bn) over the next four years,” the daily confirmed.
The biggest component of this defense modernization plan will be to boost Australia’s long-range strike capabilities to counter Chinese military buildup in the Indo-Pacific.
China is extending its military reach by building artificial islands in the South China Sea equipped with airstrips, military bases, and naval bases. China’s People’s Liberation Army has demonstrated its hostile intentions toward the regional powers by landing nuclear strike-capable bombers on these islands.
The Associated Press reported the Australian military overhaul:
Australia needs to spend more money on defense, make its own munitions and develop the ability to strike longer-range targets as China’s military buildup challenges regional security, according to a government-commissioned report released Monday.The Defense Strategic Review supports the so-called AUKUS partnership among Australia, the United States and Britain, which in March announced an agreement to create an Australian fleet of eight submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government commissioned the review to assess whether Australia has the necessary defense capability, posture and preparedness to defend itself in the current strategic environment. (…)The public version of the classified review recommended that Australia’s government spend more on defense than the current expenditure of 2% of gross domestic product, improve the Australian Defense Force’s ability to precisely strike targets at longer ranges and make munitions domestically.Other recommendations include improving the force’s ability to operate from Australia’s northern bases and to deepen defense partnerships with key countries in the Indo-Pacific region including India and Japan. China’s military buildup “is now the largest and most ambitious of any country” since the end of World War II, the review said.It “is occurring without transparency or reassurance to the Indo-Pacific region of China’s strategic intent,” it said.
Australia seeks to enhance its long-range missile strike capabilities to neutralize the threat posed by Beijing’s aggressive forward deployment. The Australian “army will undergo major changes and be re-equipped to operate missile technology, which is expected to increase in range out to several hundreds of kilometres,” the Australian public broadcaster ABC reported Monday.
“Defence’s focus will shift to Australia’s north and the seas, as army becomes more focused on land-to-maritime capability, including through long-range strike power, while planned projects for infantry vehicles are significantly reduced,” the broadcaster added.
The revamp also includes modernizing Australia’s aging nuclear submarine fleet, news reports confirm.
With Monday’s announcement, Australia joins Japan and India in their efforts to modernize their militaries and upgrade defense strategies in the face of growing Chinese aggression.
Australia is cooperating with these countries under the ‘quad’ framework, as a U.S.-led alliance revived by President Donald Trump to create a bulwark of regional powers to counter China. Last month, Australia and India unveiled a road map towards a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ in the Ind-Pacific.
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