Strategic investment in defence

Australia and the Indo-Pacific region will be more secure strategically as a result of the Morrison government’s $1.1bn upgrade of RAAF Base Tindal­ in the Northern Territory, 320km southeast of Darwin. Major runway extensions, fuel stockpiles and engineering works, to be completed in seven years, will support Australia’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and accommodate US B-52 strategic bombers and other giant American combat aircraft. Strengthening the defence presence in northern Australia was a major theme of the 2016 defence white paper, which foreshadowed a more proactive approach. Last year, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the United States Studies Centre both advocated an increase in defence infrastructure in northern Australia in response to China’s pivot towards the Indo-Pacific. On Friday, national security expert Paul Dibb urged the upgrade of other Top End RAAF bases at Weipa, Derby and Exmouth.

The Tindal upgrade, Greg Sheridan wrote on Friday, reflects the US’s increasing commitment to the Asia-Pacific and to Australia, debunking the myth that under Donald Trump the US is retreating from the Indo-Pacific region, declining in military capability and becoming less important as an ally. The upgrade, as Scott Morrison said, was “integral to our alliance with the US and (will) increase the reach of air force capabilities in the Indo-Pacific”. It builds on the defence co-operation plan forged by the Gillard government and Barack Obama in 2011.

By the time the upgrade is complete in 2027, the Australian Defence Force’s new French-designed Attack-class submarines still will be nine years from entering navy service. Their importance should not be underestimated, Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings wrote in Inquirer on Saturday. But, he argued, the security of the region was changing so fast that Australia needed urgently to boost its military hitting power and strengthen our deterrence capability: “There is no better or quicker way to do this than through air power and the US alliance.”

The 2016 white paper said direct military conflict would be unlikely in Australia’s region in coming decades. But it also took a pragmatic approach to the growth of Chinese power and military modernisation, noting China’s policies and actions would have a major impact on regional stability until at least 2035. The Chinese Communist Party’s determination to weaken US security leadership in the Asia-Pacific must not be underestimated.

The Tindal base upgrade will create 300 construction jobs, increasing opportunities for local indigenous workers who are already widely employed at the base, The upgrade is part of $8bn committed for defence spending in the Top End by the Coalition. The cost underlines the importance of budget discipline to finance such investment. The US, which spends 3.42 per cent of GDP on defence, regularly urges allies to spend 2 per cent on defence, a figure few NATO nations achieve. Australia is on track to meet the 2 per cent target, the Prime Minister said during a visit to Tindal on Friday. That is a vital sign of the nation’s commitment to regional security and upholding our end of our most important alliance. National security must be the top priority of all governments. Australia’s defences had run down over decades. But this upgrade and other initiatives are slowly redressing the balance.