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 yesterday.
The Defence Strategic Review supports the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, which last month announced an agreement to create an Australian fleet of eight submarines powered by US nuclear technology.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government commissioned the review to assess whether the nation has the necessary defense capability, posture and preparedness to defend itself in the current strategic environment.
Photo: AFP
“We support the strategic direction and key findings set out in the review, which will strengthen our national security and ensure our readiness for future challenges,” Albanese said.
He said the review was Australia’s most significant since World War II and was comprehensive in scope.
“It demonstrates that in a world where challenges to our national security are always evolving, we cannot fall back on old assumptions,” Albanese said.
The public version of the classified review recommended that Australia’s government spend more on defense than the current expenditure of 2 percent of GDP, improve the Australian Defence Force’s ability to precisely strike targets at longer ranges and make munitions domestically.
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.
Asked about Australia’s new military direction, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning (毛寧) said Beijing’s military policy is “defensive in nature.”
“We are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and the whole world,” she said. “We do not pose any challenge to any country. We hope relevant countries will not hype up the so-called China threat narrative.”
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