Defence spending is set to rise to $100 billion a year by 2034,in large part due to the risk of conflict in the Indo-Pacific as China rapidly builds up its military.
Defence firms fear the “sword of Damocles is about to drop” as the government seeks to stop the $50 billion budget from spiralling out of control.
The government says Australia does not supply weaponry to Israel. Meanwhile,the Greens and human rights groups are campaigning to immediately stop military exports. So who is telling the truth?
The federal government has flagged it wants to expand options for foreigners to serve in the Defence Force,with Pacific Island recruits top of the list.
Bureaucrats who decide budgets may think we do not have skin in the game. We do. Just like Britain did when Nazi Germany coveted Czechoslovakia.
Australia will inject the money into the British industrial base over 10 years in a bid to ensure AUKUS doesn’t face the delays that have bedevilled past naval projects.
A lack of skilled workers could derail the federal government’s ambitious plan to modernise the navy by building a fleet of frigates and drone boats in Perth.
The navy’s $11 billion reboot is fine on paper - as long as we don’t need to go to war any time in the next decade.
The navy will expand its fleet of warships from 11 to 26 vessels under a radical $11 billion overhaul designed to prepare for possible conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
The Australian armada is sinking under a mountain of debt as it chases projects some argue aren’t fit for 21st century warfare.
A dramatic navy overhaul will double the nation’s number of warships and boost the firepower of the surface fleet,but risks angering Germany.