China vs Australia: Canberra prepares for war with £400m defence upgrade as tension mounts.
AUSTRALIA is beefing up its defences by spending more than £400million on military bases in the north of the country Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed, in a clear indication of mounting tensions with China.
And Mr Morrison also said his country would be teaming up with the United States in expanded war games aimed at ensuring both nations were battle-ready. In an announcement that comes amid an increasingly bitter diplomatic and trade spat with China, Mr Morrison said Australia must expand its military assets in the Northern Territory to be able to respond to unspecified tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr Morrison told reporters: "Our objective is a free and open Indo-Pacific, to ensure a peaceful region, one that, at the same time, Australia is in a position to always protect its interests.”
He avoided naming China - but Australia's prioritising of the Indo-Pacific comes against a backdrop of increasing competition between the two in the region in recent years.
Mr Morrison said an airstrip in the Northern Territory will be lengthened to support larger aircraft, firing ranges overhauled and new training facilities developed for both Australia’s own defence personnel and US marines.
The military upgrades will get underway this year and are scheduled to be completed by 2026.
The funds come from an Australian defence plan which will see Canberra spend $270 billion in the next decade to improve Canberra's long-range strike capabilities, with the country increasing defence spending by 40 percent over the course of the next decade.
Australia's assertive approach has gone down well in Washington, and Morrison said the new facilities will enhance joint military drills with the US.