$270b to flex military might

LONG-RANGE missiles and self-propelled howitzers will be added to the nation’s weapons arsenal in a $270 billion military upgrade as Australia prepares to flex its muscles in the Indo-Pacific more than ever before.

The Antarctic is set to become more of a focus — which could be a win for Tasmania — in the massive defence step up, which will also see Australia develop weapons that can travel five-times faster than sound.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil the biggest shift in Australia’s defence strategy in four years today, which will include 800 extra troops and shift the military’s focus to the Indo-Pacific as China’s power grows.

“The simple truth is this; even as we stare down the COVID pandemic at home, we need to also prepare for a postCOVID world that is poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly,” Mr Morrison will say.

“There is a new dynamic of strategic competition, and the largely benign security environment Australia has enjoyed, roughly from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Global Financial Crisis, is gone.”

As part of the plan, Australia will acquire AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles which can travel more than 370km.

Cyber warfare will also be a key plank of the strategy, which will include $15 billion to bolster offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.

There will be a $75 billion upgrade of Australia’s naval fleet, which will include longrange maritime strike missiles, a bigger fleet and undersea surveillance.

Australia plans to upgrade or acquire 23 different types of naval and army vessels in total.

A $65 billion injection for the air force will include up to $17 billion for fighter aircraft and research into hypersonic capabilities. There will also be a $7 billion push to upgrade Defence’s space capabilities, including satellite communications systems.

Another $55 billion will upgrade the army’s arsenal with new artillery systems, including two regiments of self-propelled howitzers.

There will also be $50 billion to upgrade Defence’s ICT and research and technology programs, with $10.2 billion for undersea warfare facilities.

Mr Morrison will say Australia must be ready as the Indo-Pacific becomes the “epicentre” of the world’s rising tensions, highlighting China’s “fractious” relationship with the US, a recent border dispute between India and China, and the contested South China Sea.

“The risk of miscalculation — and even conflict — is heightening,” he will say.

“Regional military modernisation is occurring at an unprecedented rate.”