AUSTRALIA is determined to take a more aggressive military approach in the Indo-Pacific region and upgrade its defense capability through top-secret war-gaming exercises in response to alarming scenarios that could draw the country into an armed conflict and destroy stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The latest defense strategic review prompted Australia to analyze the status of its defense capabilities amid geopolitical shifts that could threaten its future security.
The Albanese government released the public version of the Defence Strategic Review on April 24.
The report is part of a larger classified version that will guide Australian defense thinking at least until the end of this decade.
The 110-page paper recommends significant, ambitious, but necessary changes to the Australian Defense Force’s organizational structure to strengthen its national security and prepare it for future challenges.
Under the classified version of the 2023 Defense Strategic Review, former defense chief Angus Houston and former defense minister Stephen Smith collaborated with specialists within the Defense Department in analyzing potential scenarios that could drag Australia into war and destabilize the Indo-Pacific.
These scenarios include a conflict between the United States and China over Taiwan, and Beijing establishing a military post in the Solomon Islands which is about 2,000 kilometers away from Australia.
The Albanese government reportedly conducted “top-secret war-gaming exercises” in response to these potential scenarios that could shatter national security and regional stability.
Moreover, the paper discussed a $19 billion increase in military spending in the next four years, the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS, to start making guided missiles within the next two years, and strengthening defense cooperation with key partners in the Indo-Pacific.
According to analysts, Australia’s latest defense strategic review showed significant changes amid concerns about China’s growing military might and aspirations.
