US fires warning shot at China with missile launch in Australia

The United States is “actively designing” its army to confront China, with President Trump’s top army official declaring a new long-range missile test in the Northern Territory sends a clear message of deterrence.

Exclusive: The United States is “actively designing” its army to tackle “any threat from China,” with President Donald Trump’s army boss declaring war-games in northern Australia are designed to send a message of deterrence to Beijing.

As the Australian Defence Force (ADF) unveiled a new state-of-the-art precision missile, US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll moved to hose down fears a Pentagon review would put the AUKUS pact at risk.

Mr Driscoll made the comments to mark the first test-firing of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) in Australia, as part of the biggest war-fighting exercise in Australia’s history. The PrSM long-range guided weapon was fired from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) truck in Mount Bundey, 100 kilometres out of Darwin. The test-fire was the first time the PrSM had been launched in Australia, and only the second time the weapon had been fired outside the continental United States.

Australian Army 10th Brigade test-firing a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) from Mount Bundey Training Area in the Northern Territory. Picture: James O'Doherty.

The missile, travelling 3.3 times faster than the speed of sound, struck a target of old shipping containers 304 kilometres away, landing within a metre of its intended target.

Australia has partnered with the United States to produce and develop the PrSM missile, which has a 500km range and can be fired from highly-mobile artillery trucks. The Army’s previous artillery was limited to a range of 50km.

Mr Driscoll said the PrSM program was an example of what the US President has labelled “peace through strength”.

“The production of the PrSM missile … is a model for us as Americans on how we can project, and partner with our allies to project, strength throughout the world.”

The US wants Australia to help produce the missiles, officials said, to supply both countries’ armies.

The test-fire was part of Talisman Sabre, Australia’s largest ever war fighting exercise in peace time, featuring more than 40,000 participants from 19 countries.

Talisman Sabre has been labelled a “rehearsal” for regional conflict, with those involved emphasising the war-games’ importance in sending a message of “deterrence”.

Australian Army soldier Gunner Zaryn Monson from 54 Siege Battery, 14th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, loads a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System onto a HIMARS after firing a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) at Mount Bundey Training Area, Northern Territory.

Asked who Australia and the US were sending that message to, Mr Driscoll singled out China.

“President Trump, Secretary of Defence (Pete) Hegseth, and the rest of the Pentagon team have been very clear that our pacing threat is China,” he said. “We are actively designing our army so that we are capable of responding to any threat from China,” he said.

Defence experts see the Talisman Sabre exercise as a way to project strength and warn Beijing off sparking conflict in the region. “We’re sending a message to both partners and potential adversaries, the deterrent message is most important of all to China,” Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Euan Graham said.

The Talisman Sabre exercise comes amid uncertainty over AUKUS, after the Pentagon launched a review into the submarine pact.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy labelled the PrSM test a “red letter day” marking the Australian Army entering “the missile age”.