Australia unveiled a massive new investment in the nation's defence capabilities on Thursday to address what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called "high stakes" and "momentous times" in Asia.

Citing increased defence spending around the region and potential flashpoints in the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula, he said the government was committed to combating the most challenging strategic environment "we have faced in peacetime".

"These are momentous times. The stakes are high. And as the opportunities expand, so does the cost of losing them," Turnbull said in launching a new Defence White Paper in Canberra.

"A stronger Australia supports a safer Australia, a safer region and a safer world."

The government said it would spend Aus$195 billion (US$139 billion) over the next decade, including a doubling of its submarine fleet to 24, three additional destroyers, nine new frigates and 12 offshore patrol boats.

Maritime surveillance would also be boosted by the purchase of seven US-made MQ-4C Triton drones and eight P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

View gallerySome 2,500 new military roles will be created to expand …
Some 2,500 new military roles will be created to expand the total defence force to 62,400 personnel, …
New air defence weapons would boost the force's capabilities with 72 F-35s, known as Joint Strike Fighters, added from 2020, while the army's equipment and armoured vehicle fleet will be upgraded.

Some 2,500 new military roles will be created to expand the total defence force to 62,400 personnel, with 900 jobs focused on improved cyber, intelligence and space security.

The cash injection would take Australia's defence spending to two percent of GDP by 2020-21, three years earlier than previously outlined, Turnbull said. The 2016-17 defence budget is Aus$32.4 billion, with the additional investment boosting the annual funding to Aus$58.7 billion in 2025-26.

- Regional tensions -

The announcement comes with Australia's close ally the United States pursuing a foreign policy "pivot" towards Asia, while Beijing flexes its muscles in the region through a military build-up in the contested South China Sea.

View galleryAustralia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (R) …
Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (R) said the government was committed to combating t …
At the same time, tensions are high on the Korean peninsula after North Korea's January nuclear test and a rocket launch this month.

Turnbull said that in the next two decades, there would be increased military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, including "half the world's submarines and half the world's combat aircraft".

"We would be concerned if the competition for influence and the growth in military capability were to lead to instability and threaten Australia's interests, whether in the South China Sea, the Korean peninsula or further afield," he added.

"We have a strong, vital, vested interest in the maintenance of peace, stability and respect for the rule of law. The decisions we take now will impact on our defence capability and outlook for decades to come."

At a regular press briefing Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China was "dissatisfied" with statements it found "negative" in the white paper about its South China Sea policy.

"In the hopes of relieving tensions and the possibility of arms race, we hope that relevant countries can give up joint drills and stop increasing their military presence in the region," she said.

John Blaxland, a military expert at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said Canberra's boost was consistent with other nations, adding that the global average for defence spending was between 2.1-2.3 percent of GDP.

"In a world where the clouds are getting darker and where power dynamics are shifting and that shifting is creating rub points that could turn into spark points, the insurance policy which is the... Australian Defence Force is becoming less politically contentious," Blaxland told AFP.

Three international bidders -- DCNS of France, Germany's TKMS and the Japanese government -- are competing for a submarine project worth some Aus$50 billion (US$36 billion) to replace Australia's current diesel and electric-powered Collins Class submarines.

A decision on the winner is due this year.

Australia is part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq, contributing military jets and special forces. It also started carrying out air strikes against IS targets in Syria last year.

Subs to combat Islamic State :lol:

What do they have a navy now?

A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs) each of which carries a nuclear warhead and allows a single launched missile to strike several targets. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles operate in a different way from submarine-launched cruise missiles.

Modern submarine-launched ballistic missiles are closely related to intercontinental ballistic missiles (range of over 5,500 kilometres (3,000 nmi)), and in many cases SLBMs and ICBMs may be part of the same family of weapons

A submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) is a cruise missile that is launched from a submarine (especially a SSG or SSGN). Current versions are typically standoff weapons known as land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs), which are used to attack predetermined land targets with conventional or nuclear payloads. Anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) are also used, and some submarine-launched cruise missiles have variants for both functions. Brahmos is the fastest cruise missile currently developed, and has land-attack and anti-ship variants.

Subs to combat Islamic State :lol:

What do they have a navy now?

Australia is not getting ICBMs mate. Keep dreaming.

The submarine force
will be increased from 6 to 12 regionally superior submarines with a high degree
of interoperability with the United States. The surface naval capability will include
three Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers and a new class of nine future frigates
supported by new replenishment vessels

Heres the white paper.

http://www.defence.gov.au/whitepaper/Docs/2016-Defence-White-Paper.pdf

Makes mention of China, ukraine, IS etc.

Events during the three years since the release of the last Defence White
Paper in 2013 demonstrate how rapidly Australia’s security environment
can change .The relationship between the United States and China
continues to evolve and will be fundamental to our future strategic
circumstances .Territorial disputes between claimants in the East China
and South China Seas have created uncertainty and tension in our region .
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continues to be a source of
instability .State fragility has helped enable the rise of Daesh (also known
as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) terrorists in the Middle East,
incidents across the world have demonstrated the pervasive nature of the
threat of terrorism, and [size=8]a violation of international law led to the deaths of
Australians in the skies over Ukraine[/size] .Some matters that previous Defence
White Papers have described as longer-term issues, such as the impact
of military modernisation in our region, now fall to this White Paper to
respond to .

24? Its 12, 12 has been reported for years, and the white paper says 12 lol.

interesting...

no mention of the violation of international law of Australians bombing a sovereign nation in Syria uninvited

[size=8]A stable Indo-Pacific region and a rules-based global order[/size]

3 .9 Our third Strategic Defence Interest is in a stable Indo-Pacific region
and rules-based global order which supports Australia’s interests .The
Indo-Pacific includes North Asia, the South China Sea and the extensive
sea lines of communication in the Indian and Pacific Oceans that
support Australian trade .A stable rules-based regional order is critical to
ensuring Australia’s access to an open, free and secure trading system
and minimising the risk of coercion and instability that would directly
affect Australia’s interests .A stable rules-based global order serves to
deal with threats before they become existential threats to Australia, and
enables our unfettered access to trading routes, secure communications
and transport to support Australia’s economic development .

Russian Army shot down MH17 , killed all those people on there way to Australia

it was on 2009 white paper about going to 12 subs ....there really nothing new in the 2016 white paper ,,,which is why AFP got it wrong

Russian Army? :lol:

Evidence?

So lets violate international law and bomb Syria. Makes perfect sense.
Much like invading Iraq because some Saudis attacked NYC. Makes perfect sense.

Edited by TheFactOfTheMatter: 26/2/2016 02:15:16 AM

we know the Russia army unit , know the names Russian solider ...

anyway, who died and made you king , you're a fucking nobody, why should they give evidence to you

and who gave you the evidence?

why do i need it? why would i not believe the Australia government when dealing with so many dead Australians ? kids shot from the sky, falling to ground with out there clothes left on them

fuck you

the Australian government never claimed the Russian army shot down MH17