As expected, the 2020-21 Budget handed down by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on October 6 made no significant changes to the defence portfolio. The acquisition projects announced in the 2020 Force Structure Plan on July 1 remain in being.

And so also do two key policy commitments: first, the emphasis on innovation and the development of a strong and resilient defence industry. Second, Defence plans to spend about $100 billion on new guided weapons as well as increasing our stock holdings of the weapons we’ve got so that we’re not vulnerable to supply chain shocks.