In his recent article (11/1/2025) Peter Jennings rightly observed that for decades there has been an underinvestment in defence. This assessment implicitly condemns Coalition governments, within which he was a senior adviser, and which have held power for 20 of the past 29 years.It also explains the need for the significant increases in defence spending locked in by the Albanese Labor government. In 2025 and beyond, Australia needs to invest in credible military capability to deter potential adversaries. That’s why the government has increased investment with an additional $50bn in defence funding over the next decade.
That’s $50bn more than the former Coalition government planned to invest in defence when it left office. And it’s $50bn more than Peter Dutton plans to invest in defence. As soon as we came to office we did the strategic thinking that had been absent under the Coalition and put in place critical plans for the future, at the same time as speeding up the acquisition of the capabilities we need to keep Australians safe.
For example, we have already delivered a significant boost to the Australian Defence Force’s long-range strike capabilities, taking the navy’s range from a modest 200km to more than 2500km with the acquisition of Tomahawk missiles. And on Thursday we’re announcing we are acquiring additional quantities of the AGM-88G missile systems that are designed to detect, attack and destroy enemy surface-to-air radar systems. We are also engaged in the largest re-capitalisation of the army’s equipment in its history.
Army will be transformed from a legacy force with a maximum weapon range of 40km to a littoral manoeuvre force capable of land and maritime strike to 1000km.
We have more than doubled the number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers being acquired, and have brought forward their introduction. We expect the first systems to arrive this year. We’re pursuing a multi-orbital approach to ADF satellite communications to strengthen our resilience in a more contested space domain.
We’re also investing more in air and missile defence through the Joint Air Battle Management System and the acquisition of the Standard Missile 6 on our Hobart-class destroyers. And we are doing the hard work to reform defence innovation and fast-track the development of cutting-edge capabilities, including through a $3.8bn investment into the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator over the decade.
Critically, we’re investing record amounts to grow a sovereign Australian defence industry, supporting skilled, high-paying jobs throughout Australia. Nevertheless, in these uncertain times, partners and allies are critically important. AUKUS will rightly continue to see appropriate public scrutiny, as well as the largest capability acquisition and industrial endeavour in our nation’s history. The acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines is the single biggest leap in Australia’s military capability since World War II, and work to acquire this capability is continuing at pace. It continues to have bipartisan support both here and in the US, which was reinforced this week by US President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
This year, I expect we will continue to see deepening competition in the Pacific. Over the past 2½ years we’ve brought respect back to our relationships in the Pacific after the Coalition abandoned the field to others.
We have been doing the work that should have been done a decade ago to make Australia the partner of choice in the Pacific. And we’re using every tool of statecraft.
Our support for a Papua New Guinea team to join Australia’s National Rugby League competition will solidify our historical bond with our closest neighbour, and strengthen our partnership into the future.
We have signed new treaties with PNG, Tuvalu and Nauru, elevated our relationship with Fiji and struck a security agreement with the Solomon Islands. But we cannot defend the nation without the personnel to do so effectively.
We inherited a situation from Peter Dutton whereby the numbers in our Defence Force when he was defence minister were going backward. The previous government said they wanted to grow the Defence Force, but had no plan and no funding for a solution.
We are working hard to turn the situation around. That is why we are investing more than $600m to extend and expand the Continuation Bonus for permanent ADF members and increasing the ADF’s operational reserves by an additional 1000 personnel.
That’s good news for the men and women in the ADF, and good news for Australia. Make no mistake, in uncertain times, national security should be a common goal that unites us as a nation.
Our focus needs to be delivering the men and women of the ADF the capabilities they need to defend our nation and help make our region more secure in 2025 and beyond.
Pat Conroy is Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.
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