A dramatic navy overhaul will double the nation’s number of warships and boost the firepower of the surface fleet,but risks angering Germany.
Asked about the so-called “three-ringed wranglers” WhatsApp group,Navy Chief Mark Hammond said the claims were being taken “very seriously”.
Allowing foreigners to serve in Australia’s armed forces is among changes being considered to bolster a sluggish recruitment effort that has left the military short thousands of personnel.
The commander of Australia’s most lethal warship has been stood down following allegations of a drunken episode that caused the navy international embarrassment.
Jockeying has begun to be the next Chief of the Defence Force as tensions between the defence minister and senior defence officials burst into public view.
Expectations are firming that the number of Hunter-class frigates will be slashed from a planned nine to six,or possibly even three,vessels.
The federal opposition leader says the Albanese government’s decision to focus on the Indo-Pacific is a “weak and incompetent” abandonment of our allies.
The federal government is considering a US request to send a Royal Australian Navy warship to dangerous waters in the Middle East.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also raised the incident,telling a top Chinese Communist Party official that it was lucky no one died from the sonar pulses
Coming into view,just before our starters arrive,is the next generation in his family of sailors.
Michael Hickie,who has died aged 100,served with distinction in World War II and took a submarine beneath the icy depths of the North Pole.