Patience Doesn’t Always Lead to Good Things
Commentary
The latest announcement by Defence Minister Richard Marles may seem impressive with its promises of increased expenditure and investments in Australia’s defences over the next decade. However, mere rhetoric and grand promises are not enough to effectively deter our adversaries.
Mr. Marles outlined the key points of the announcement:
– A $330 billion defence investment program aiming to increase spending to 2.4 percent of GDP by 2034.
– An additional $50 billion allocation over the next decade, alongside $5.7 billion within the next four years to upgrade the Australian Defence Force with new technologies such as missiles, drones, ships, and aerial defence systems.
– $22.5 billion worth of cuts to existing Defence programs over the next four years, and a total of $72.8 billion over a decade to fund new capabilities.
These measures are intended to provide funding for undersea warfare including nuclear-powered submarines and underwater drones, new surface ships, guided weapons, and missile defence systems, with estimated budgets ranging from $14 to $76 billion.
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