Defence gets $50 billion spending boost

The government has unveiled the new National Defense strategy this afternoon. 10s of billions of dollars of extra money will go towards the Navy as well as space and cyber combat. In a speech at the National Press Club this afternoon, Richard Miles says the prospect of conflict is higher than it’s ever been in recent years, with the war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and, most concerning for Australia, tensions between the US and China. As a result, he says Australia needs to do better at warding off any potential enemies with more investment in long range missiles. More spending on the Navy is about ensuring international shipping lanes remain open and safe, saying as an island nation we rely heavily on imports for things we really can’t do without, like fuel and medicines. Richard Miles says the orcas submarine deal is the key. More than any other capability, this platform will give an adversary pause for thought and hold their assets at risk further from our shores. However, he said spending on some projects would have to be redirected and the opposition has already come out to criticise the plan. Are a first world wealthy country. We should have a capable military across all domains, not just one or two domains. The fact that they are cutting some things to pay for other things shows that they’re just not willing to expand defense spending as they need to. But like everything else in the economy, defense needs workers. But that’s a challenge that defense hasn’t quite cracked.