Australian landmark defence strategic review

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Protecting trade and force projection major focus of 'incredibly important' generation defence review says Richard Marles

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has confirmed the landmark defence strategic review will focus on force projection with Australia set to pivot towards long-range missile capability in the face of growing threats.
Tyrone Clarke

April 23, 2023

Australia will boost its long-range missile capability as it refocuses its defence strategy towards force projection.

The Albanese government will unveil the landmark defence strategic review, and its response to the once-in-a-generation report, on Monday, marking a major shift in Australia’s defence posture.

Spending is expected to surge more than two per cent as a result of the DSR, headed by former ADF chief Sir Angus Houston and former cabinet minister Stephen Smith, and the AUKUS submarine acquisition.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News Australia’s Andrew Clennell Australia’s posture needed to change in line with its increasingly complex strategic threats.

He also said the protection of the country’s trade routes was a much greater priority than when the last major review was undertaken in 1985 by Paul Dibb.

“It’s an incredibly important piece of work because what it seeks to do is restate Australia’s strategic posture for the first time in more than 35 years,” Mr Marles told Sunday Agenda.

“Trade as a proportion of our economy today is far higher than it was in 1985 that means that we are much more reliant upon those sea lanes.

“If you think about the south China sea, the majority of our trade goes through that body of water.

“That body of water is now clearly central to Australia’s national interests in a way that it wasn’t back in 1985.”

The Defence Minister said Australia’s “huge trading connection” to the world would shift the strategic towards maritime and long-range capabilities.

As a result, he noted that force projection – the ability to expand Australia’s sphere of military capabilities to act as a deterrent – was “much more important” than ever before.

“We need to protect our connection to the world and we need to play our part in providing an underpinning of the global rules based order,” Mr Marles said.

“These are ideas and things that are well beyond our border so in that sense we need to have a capacity to project and make our contribution to the collective security of the region.”

The DSR will call for a reduction in Australia’s infantry capabilities, including tanks, to make way for more long-range assets which will primarily be located in the top end.

The number of infantry fighting vehicles to be acquired will drop from 450 to 129 with the review expected to recommend significant cuts of defence projects to fund the AUKUS project and an expansion of other capabilities.

Up to $27 billion will be cut from the Land 400 Phase 3 project while the DSR is also expected to call for the government to scrap the acquisition of 30 self-propelled howitzer guns, according to the AFR.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles have unveiled the most significant review of Australia’s military posture in more than three decades.

The Prime Minister said the review, headed by former ADF chief Sir Angus Houston and ex-Labor cabinet minister Stephen Smith, was the “most significant work” since World War II and focuses not purely on Australia’s military capabilities but on energy, cyber and economic security.

Mr Marles said while the strategy outlined in the 1985 review by Paul Dibb had served Australia well for three decades, the existing defence posture was “no longer fit for purpose”.

Under the recommendations from the review, the government will focus resources on five key points including the defence of the nation and immediate region, deterring adversaries “through denial” and the protection of Australia’s trade connections.

There will also be a shift towards a greater approach to protect collective security with Asian Pacific partners.