Urgent call to modernise Australian military amid Russia, China threat

China is watching the world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as it gauges its next move in the Pacific, leading to high-level calls for Australia’s military to “lift its game”

China is closely watching the world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as it gauges its next moves in the Pacific, leading to high-level calls for a comprehensive national security strategy that will force Australia’s military to “lift its game” to counter a potential attack on Taiwan.

As Russia threatened the world with nukes over the increasingly bogged down invasion of Ukraine, NSW senator and retired major general Jim Molan said the country needed a better plan to respond to threats.

A destroyed Russian military vehicle is seen on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: AFP

“The one thing that Australia must do is to have a national security strategy which considers the state of the world — not just what the military can do but also sub-strategies for every part of government and the economy,” Mr Molan told The Daily Telegraph.

“The West has shown in Russia that it can be indecisive and weak and recent events confirm it is best to act against dictators early. We did not do that in the South China Sea, in the case of Hong Kong, or in the case of the Uighyurs.”

“This Coalition government has been better on national security than any government in memory, but as the prime minister has said more is needed.”

Jim Molan during hearings at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The senator’s warnings came as security experts said Australia desperately needed to modernise its military in the face of a Chinese regime that might be emboldened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“If Xi realises that Putin’s war has so changed the environment that the world’s powerful democracies now see Russia and China as a common strategic challenge, there is the risk that he thinks there is no better time to act to achieve his – and the CCP’s – historic ambition of unifying Taiwan with the mainland by force,” Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Michael Shoebridge said.

Military vehicles carrying DF-21D ballistic missiles roll to Tiananmen Square during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing. Picture: Reuters

“Australia needs to lift its game in actually getting the stronger military capabilities the government has been investing in since 2016.”

“The pace of military modernisation the Australian Defence organisation has been providing is now unacceptably, inexcusably slow.

“And we need to be part of much accelerated practical assistance to Taiwan and to other nations threatened by China — to raise their defensive capacity so we aren’t playing catch-up once a conflict has started – as we see NATO doing right now with Ukraine.”

The calls came as key members of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security travelled to the US Monday to meet with AUKUS counterparts this week.

Calling the global security situation “the most uncertain geopolitical environment since the 1930s,” committee chair Senator James Paterson said, “it is critical that we ensure close co-ordination and collaboration with our most important security partners”.