Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marles has announced a strategic review aimed at shifting the nation’s military focus to long-range deterrence using missiles, submarines, and cyber tools. The move comes amid rising risks of military escalation or miscalculation due to China’s military build-up, which the review warned is the largest and most ambitious of any country since World War II. The review aims to change the calculus so that no potential aggressor can ever conclude that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks.
The new Australian military strategy includes developing the ability to strike from air, land and sea, strengthening northern bases, and recruiting more troops. It also involves scaling back land-focused projects such as the plan to purchase 450 infantry fighting vehicles, which will now be reduced to just 129. Additionally, the army will have a sharper focus on coastal defence, particularly in the country’s vast north, and will be tasked with providing “a long-range strike capability”.
While the review mentions “China” only nine times and never as an adversary, there is little doubt that Beijing’s vast military investment and increased sabre rattling are a driving force behind the changes. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Chinese military spending reached a record $292 billion last year, the 28th consecutive year of increases. The rise of the “missile age” in modern warfare, crystallized by the proliferation of long-range precision strike weapons, has radically reduced Australia’s geographic benefits, the review concluded. As a result, Australia’s military will develop the ability to strike from air, land and sea, strengthen northern bases, and recruit more troops.
SOURCE: Ref- france24
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