Peter Dutton has accused the federal government of “putting defence last” after calling to amp up spending towards the nation’s defence capabilities. Speaking at a press conference in Adelaide on Friday, Mr Dutton said he wanted to see Australia’s total defence spending lifted well above 2 per cent of itsContinue Reading
Australia will inject hundreds of millions of dollars to build a fleet of AI-controlled killer drones as part of efforts to boost the nation’s military capabilities. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy is expected to announce a further $400m boost into the federal government’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat program on Friday. TheContinue Reading
A top weapons manufacturer has argued that Australia’s defence industry is far too reliant on the UK and the US for munitions, declaring that the government must overhaul its defence strategy to favour local procurement. NIOA Group chief executive Robert Nioa called for “urgent action” to strengthen Australia’s national securityContinue Reading
The chief of the Australian Defence Force has “wisely” walked back his comments after sensationally accusing Jacqui Lambie of “maliciously” misrepresenting the pay packages of senior brass. General Angus Campbell lashed the Tasmanian senator during an estimates hearing on Wednesday morning, saying she should be “ashamed” of herself. Senator LambieContinue Reading
Townsville will be home to the Australian Defence Force’s newest asset, the AH-64E Apache helicopters. The federal government is investing $692.4 million into the RAAF Townsville base to renovate and build new facilities to accommodate the Apache attack helicopters and their crews from 2025. The Australian Army has ordered 29Continue Reading
Australia must confront the “inconvenient truths” about China, Defence Minister Richard Marles says as Australia seeks to repair its economic relationship amid a significant military build-up. The Deputy Prime Minister on Tuesday morning said despite recent trade breakthroughs with Beijing, the relationship with China remained “very complex”. Mr Marles saidContinue Reading
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sparked backlash over his response to a controversial question posed by English journalist Piers Morgan. The federal Labor leader featured in what the Piers Morgan Uncensored host described as an “extraordinary exclusive interview”, which aired at 8pm on Tuesday night UK time. The monarchy, cricket,Continue Reading
Australia’s defence force is not fit for purpose to respond to the rapid militarisation of China, a landmark review has found. A declassified review of the ADF found as it stands Australia is ill-equipped to defend itself and can no longer rely on “geography or warning time” ahead of conflictContinue Reading
The most significant review of Australia’s defence force and capabilities in decades has laid bare a significant budget struggle, with suggestions multi-billion dollar programs may need to be wound back and others scrapped. The Defence Strategic Review, to be released on Monday, has found that in the twilight years ofContinue Reading
Paul Keating has hit back at Penny Wong over her comments that he “diminished” his legacy with his blistering attack on the Albanese government’s support of AUKUS. The Foreign Minister addressed the National Press Club on Monday where she took a swipe at Mr Keating’s attack on the Albanese Government’sContinue Reading