Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an overhaul of Australia’s defense strategy and force structure, as the U.S. ally looks to counter an increasingly assertive China in an Indo-Pacific region he calls "the focus of the dominant global contest of our age.”
In a major speech delivered in Canberra on Wednesday, Morrison said that his government would spend 270 billion Australian dollars (¥20 trillion) in defense capability over the next decade, up from about AU$195 billion when the nation’s previous strategic overhaul was announced in 2016.
The spending will include Australia’s purchase of AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles from the U.S. Navy for about AU$800 million, tripling the range of its maritime strike capability to about 230 miles (370 kilometers).