Washington| The US and its Pacific allies, such as Australia, have outdated defence capabilities in urgent need of modernisation, but politicians and the military have lacked the ability to prioritise, the head of the US Air Force says.

Older equipment and infrastructure needed to be retired, freeing up resources for the update, said US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall. He noted there was a reluctance in the US Congress to invest in newer equipment and systems, and he said better clarity was also needed from within the Defence Department itself.