Joint Strike Fighter expansion plan facing axe under government defence reprioritisation

Plans to acquire additional Joint Strike Fighter aircraft are being halted under the government’s defence reprioritisation. (Department of Defence: CPL Craig Barrett)

Plans to purchase additional Joint Strike Fighter aircraft are being halted under sweeping defence changes unveiled by the Albanese government that would see Australia’s overall military budget almost double within a decade.

On Wednesday, Defence Minister Richard Marles released Labor’s long awaited National Defence Strategy that includes plans to lift annual spending to around $100 billion by 2034.

“The inaugural National Defence Strategy sets out a clear and priority-driven approach to protecting against threats to Australia and our interests,” Mr Marles told the National Press Club in Canberra.

Shortly after Mr Marles unveiled plans to lift defence spending by $50 billion over a decade, the equivalent of 2.4 per cent of Australia’s GDP, his opposition counterpart Andrew Hastie pledged that the Coalition would “exceed” the commitment.

“Under a Peter Dutton-led government, we will exceed that expenditure – we will invest in defence,” Mr Hastie told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program.

Overall, the Albanese government has allocated $330 billion for the Defence Department’s Integrated Investment Plan (IIP), repurposing around $72 billion worth of projects over the next decade as it focuses on priorities such as long-range strike capacity.

An anticipated fourth squadron of F-35 fighter jets has been put on hold, saving about $2 billion, two planned resupply vessels for the navy have been scrapped, saving $4 billion, and spending on defence buildings in Canberra has been redirected to northern Australia.

A total of 72 Joint Strike Fighters have been purchased by Australia to date, but the government says delaying the planned retirement of Super Hornets means decisions on buying more F-35s can be put off and free up money for other priorities.

“We’ve decided to keep the Super Hornets in service for two reasons: one, they’re doing great work, and secondly, the Joint Strike Fighter is even more capable than we initially thought,” Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said.

“We can delay the replacement of the Super Hornet, which frees up funding to invest in more long-range missiles, for example.”

Senior defence figures say other ambitious and difficult projects have been wound back and the focus of the revamped IIP is now on acquiring “minimal viable capability” for the Australian military.

New recruits may come from overseas

On another key aspect of its new defence strategy, Mr Marles said Australia may need to recruit defence personnel from other countries, starting with the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand, to fill a shortfall of about 4,400 defence personnel.

He said there would also be a need to “streamline recruiting processes” and improve retention, including by taking steps to “improve defence’s culture” to be informed by the final report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.