More F-35s ‘very welcome’: RAAF boss
One of the air force’s most senior commanders has approved of Peter Dutton’s pledge to buy another squadron of F-35 joint strike fighters, while dismissing rumours of a US ‘kill switch’.
Defence
Doubts over future of $1bn Ghost Bat drone
Concerns are mounting over the future of Australia’s $1bn Ghost Bat drone program as it approaches the end of its funding.
Two women charged after ‘bomb hoax’ linked to airshow
Victoria Police charged two women after a ‘suspicious package’ was left at a Geelong office linked to the Avalon Airshow, prompting a response from the bomb squad.
Big talk of threat, little funds action
Labor will go to the polls having failed to act on its own dire warnings about the nation facing the most ‘complex and challenging’ strategic environment since WWII.
This is a defence policy for Fantasy Island, not us
Labor’s defence shuffling of $1bn, a direct shot at the Trump administration, is not even new money but funding moved forward in an attempt at deceiving the Australian public.
Aussie shipbuilder Austal moulded by its US ambition
South Korea’s Hanwha wants a bigger piece of Austal as it carries out top-secret work for the US Navy and emerges as a key player in AUKUS.
Labor-targeting teal vows to oppose AUKUS
The federal seat of Fremantle is home to the shipyards that stand to attract more than $10bn of investment under AUKUS but teal candidate says she will oppose the ‘crazy’ deal.
Marles’ $1bn snub to Trump on defence
The Albanese government will accelerate just $1bn worth of Defence spending in the federal budget over and above its already planned funding trajectory.
Aussie munitions firm to build $120m US plant
NIOA will build a $120m weapons factory in the US amid growing calls by Donald Trump for Western countries to spend more on defence.
Rocket up our security without budget craters
How best to position Australia’s national defence effort to respond to China as a potential adversary and – in a different way – the US, presumably still as an ally.
Millions found to bolster spy agencies
Anthony Albanese has pledged $45m extra for the nation’s spy agencies after a review of Australia’s security organisations.
No guesswork as teens ‘nuclear-powered’ to take up AUKUS careers
Over 2000 Australian high schoolers are being engaged in a program to fast-track them into careers assisting to build the nation’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet.
Labor at the double on $5bn defence boost
The Albanese government is looking at fast-tracking $5bn worth of defence spending in next week’s federal budget.
Canada trumps US in buying our $6.5bn radar system
Canada will buy the radar system from Australia after it overtook the US in negotiations in a deal that marks the biggest defence export in the nation’s history.
Marles concedes subpar Collins refit on the cards
In a bombshell admission, Richard Marles has conceded the government is considering scaling back life-extending upgrades of the navy’s Collins-class submarines.
Hanwha seeks Austal board seat
The billionaire Forrests could be matched to the dollar by shareholder Hanwha on the register of the company described as the “sovereign champion for Australia”.
Union takes the fight to frigates as wages go ‘boom’
Australia’s biggest defence projects are facing a massive wages cost blowout with BAE’s troubled Hunter-class frigate program the latest target.
Blowing ourselves out of the water
The failure to prepare for the major upgrades needed to the ageing Collins-class submarines open up a critical capability gap ahead of the arrival of Australia’s nuclear submarines.
Secret sub scandal: Collins lined up for lite-on refit
The Albanese government is considering a secret, scaled-back upgrade plan for the Collins-class submarines from next year, risking a capability gap ahead of the arrival of nuclear submarines.
Here’s why enemies with bad intentions ‘pause for thought’
Among the US crew, there is growing anticipation about the looming increased presence of Australians aboard their submarines
Albanese to discuss Ukraine peace with world leaders
The PM will discuss the potential deployment of Australian peacekeepers with pro-Kyiv nations as he accuses Peter Dutton of walking away from bipartisan support for the war-torn nation.
Japanese frigate on sales pitch mission
The Mogami-class frigates were designed to be interoperable with US warships, which could appeal to Australia in light of the AUKUS program.
Beazley makes the case for defence to meet Trump’s demands
Labor’s revered former defence minister has warned the Albanese government to lift military spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP, as Donald Trump prepares to strain the two nations’ ties by slapping tariffs on Australian exporters.
![The NASAMS High Mobility Launcher on a HMMWV, firing an AMRAAM missile. [HMMWV: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle]. Photo: Australian Department of Defence / Supplied](https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/fe493011e42c0a5deaaffed1c66b7b1f?width=650)
Defence spending must be budget priority
Defence Strategic Review co-author Peter Dean has urged the government to use the March 25 budget to lift defence spending, starting with a funding boost for urgently needed missile defence systems.
Dutton warns on troops in Ukraine
The Opposition Leader says it is ‘unbelievable’ that the Prime Minister is even considering putting Australian boots on the ground in Ukraine.
Call it what it was, PM: a menacing attempt to increase anxiety in the Australian population
We should not delude ourselves that the Chinese deployment was a benign exercise, conducted ‘lawfully’ in international waters. It was a strategic attempt at intimidation. This day of reckoning was long coming.
Private Wojtek at your service
Perhaps the world needs more warriors today like the bear who helped topple Nazism, one of the lesser-told stories of World War II.
Defence spending boost forced by new world disorder
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will be forced by seismic world events and by Donald Trump to place Australia on a fast-track to sharply increased defence spending.
Collins life-extensions a critical test, Marles warns
Richard Marles has warned planned life-extensions for the navy’s Collins-class submarines will be a high-risk endeavour but he believes the $6bn project is ‘do-able’.
Navy, air force have China ships in their sights
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the monitoring of the flotilla would provide insights into Chinese navy missions.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/page/5