The Australia government says it will soon announce a substantial increase in defence spending and focus on projecting military power across the Indo-Pacific amid escalating tensions with China.
This is contained in a major policy speech to be delivered on Wednesday by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The country says it will acquire more powerful strike capabilities, including the United States’ AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, as well as invest in hypersonic weapons research.
Though Morrison says Australia remains prepared to send troops further afield “where it is in national interest to do so”, that cannot come at the cost of its ability to respond to threats from and in its own backyard.
