headlines ADF freeing up money from old to modernize.. we are part of this ..

Defence cuts to fund missiles, drones in plan to modernise ADF

Defence Minister Richard Marles at ASC’s submarine yard at in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

• By BEN PACKHAM

  FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
• 4:58PM APRIL 16, 2024
• 32 COMMENTS

Richard Marles will reveal billions in Defence program cuts on Wednesday to free up funds for new missiles, drones and ships, as he unveils the government’s new decade-long investment plan to modernise the ADF.

Addressing the National Press Club, the Defence Minister will also release a new national defence strategy that’s expected to underscore a careful recalibration by the government on the urgency of strategic threats.

A year after the Defence Strategic Review declared the ADF was no longer “fit for purpose”, Mr Marles is expected to warn Australians not to be fixated on short-term deficiencies in the nation’s defence capabilities. He will call instead for a focus on the government’s longer-term plans to transform the force.

When Defence’s integrated investment program was last updated in 2020, it was worth $270bn. The navy’s promised nuclear submarines and new general purpose frigates could push the updated version beyond $350bn.

New missiles, air defence systems and armed drones, which have played vital roles in the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars, are set to be prioritised under the new plan.

Mr Marles has spent months accusing the Coalition of secretly de-funding Defence, arguing 30-40 per cent of its capability promises weren’t budgeted for.

This would require “tough, but necessary, decisions to divest, delay, or re-scope projects that do not support this integrated and focused force”, the Minister warned in an April 4 speech.

“This reprioritisation will enable the Government to accelerate projects that will have the greatest impact on our strategic objectives to deter any potential adversaries from actions against our interests,” Mr Marles said.

Defence Minister Richard Marles MP (left) joins Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy (centre) and Chief Defence Scientist Tanya Monro (right) to announce the establishment of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator.

In the same speech, he rebuked commentators who lamented the ADF’s lack of short-term preparedness for “worst case” contingencies, saying such analysis “lacks wit”.

“Australia’s challenge lies in the future beyond this. And here we must invest in the next-generation capabilities the ADF needs to address the nation’s most significant military risks in the cyber, space and missile age,” Mr Marles told the Sydney Institute.