Australia plans to spend some US$140.5 billion over the next decade ‘to fund investment in support of the future force,’ and bring the defence budget beyond the stated target of 2% of GDP by FY2020-21.
Canberra released its long-delayed Defence White Paper on 25 February, providing insight into the country’s strategic outlook and future force posture.
For the first time, the release of the white paper was accompanied by a Defence Integrated Investment Programme (DIIP) setting out the level of investment needed to develop and sustain Australia’s defence capabilities over the next decade.
The white paper has been met with