By James Massola
US President Donald Trump’s ambitious “golden dome” missile defence system creates opportunities for Australia, says former prime minister Scott Morrison, who wants the AUKUS pact to expand from undersea into space.
The former prime minister and now chairman of the advisory board for Space Centre Australia has warned that while the United States has the most sophisticated and mature civil and military space capabilities, China is rapidly gaining ground in the space race and Russia is well established.
In a major speech in Sydney on Tuesday, Morrison, one of the founders of the AUKUS defence arrangement with the US and United Kingdom, called for a third pillar of AUKUS co-operation to include the development of satellites and other forms of space technology.
Morrison’s speech comes days after Trump announced the golden dome system, which is designed to defend America from ballistic and cruise missiles. Trump said the shield should be operational by the end of his four-year term.
While the Trump administration has estimated the cost at $US175 billion ($271.4 billion), the Congressional Budget Office calculated a total cost of $US831 billion over two decades.
In his speech, Morrison highlighted the fact that his government had created the Australian Space Agency and promised more than $2 billion for the sector, including investing in satellites, the square kilometre telescope array and space-focused defence capabilities.
But with the global space economy set to grow from $US630 billion to $US1.8 trillion by 2035, and the number of satellites set to increase from 12,000 to about 40,000 in the same time, Morrison said Australia needed to be more ambitious.
Scott Morrison says he would strongly support AUKUS expansion.Credit: James Brickwood
“Space is now a front line in US-China strategic rivalry that dominates our post-globalisation world,” he said. “To obtain control and even dominance in the space domain, major powers are developing both offensive and defensive capabilities.
“The US leads with the most mature infrastructure … The ‘golden dome’ initiative will elevate these capabilities further.”
Credit: Matt Golding
But he warned that China was quickly advancing its space programs, while Russia was “reportedly developing a space-based nuclear anti-satellite weapon”.
“While China and Russia pose serious challenges with their counter-space arsenals, the combined resources and unity of the US and its allies provide a strong counterweight,” Morrison said.
“Australia’s emergence ... in concert with Japan and Europe/UK, enhances that.”
Morrison said he would “strongly support” a third track to have AUKUS co-operation span from under the ocean to space.
That third pillar, building on the plans to develop an AUKUS nuclear submarine and the development and sharing of defence technology, would “recognise and elevate the strategic importance of the space domain to address the shared security objectives of AUKUS partners”.
Priorities for space development include launch infrastructure near the equator, upgraded satellites, strengthened cyber protection of space assets and new satellite projects with Japan and the UK.
“Having left politics, I’m proud to continue pursuing what I’ve long believed to be a national priority – the development of Australia’s space capability. It was never about politics – it was about securing Australia’s economic, scientific and strategic future,” he said.
In April, a group of the nation’s top defence experts warned that spending on the AUKUS submarine program was growing so dramatically that it was approaching the size of a standalone branch of the Defence Force, draining funding for other military equipment.
Over the next four years, the nuclear-powered submarine program is projected to cost $17.3 billion, outstripping the RAAF’s capital budget of $12.7 billion, which excludes staff and sustainment costs. The project is estimated to cost between $268 billion and $368 billion by the time it is complete in the 2040s.
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