WELLINGTON: Australia announced Wednesday it would begin building its own guided missiles in close collaboration with the United States as it seeks to boost its defence capabilities.
The news comes amid growing unease in the Pacific region about China’s increasing assertiveness and military abilities.
Citing the “changing global environment,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that it would partner with a weapons manufacturer to build the missiles in a plan that would create thousands of jobs as well as export opportunities.
Morrison said that it would initially spend 1 billion Australian dollars ($761 million) on the plan as part of a huge 10-year investment in defense and the defense industry.
“Creating our own sovereign capability on Australian soil is essential to keep Australians safe,” Morrison said.
It has been decades since Australia last manufactured advanced missiles, and it currently relies on importing them from allies including the US. Australia is currently building a decoy rocket aimed at disrupting incoming missiles.
Michael Shoebridge, the director of defense, strategy and national security at the independent think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said that the announcement was welcome news and filled a strategic gap.
“It’s being driven by the two Cs, China and Covid,” Shoebridge said.
He said that China’s increasing aggression was a big concern for Australia, as was the vulnerability of global supply chains that had been exposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
He also said that Australia’s most pressing need was for long-range anti-ship missiles that could be fired from warships or aircraft. He added that new army fighting vehicles also needed missile capabilities.
Shoebridge said that it would make sense for Australia to build a new generation of hypersonic missiles in collaboration with the US. He said that potential commercial partners included large US weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, although other manufacturers might be involved in developing specific systems, for instance, propulsion.
Australia is part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, along with the US, Canada, Britain and New Zealand.
“We will work closely with the United States on this important initiative to ensure that we understand how our enterprise can best support both Australia’s needs and the growing needs of our most important military partner,” Defence Minister Peter Dutton said.
He said that building weapons in Australia would not only enhance its capabilities but would also ensure the nation had sufficient supply for combat operations if there was any disruption to global supply chains.
Before the announcement, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute had estimated that Australia would need to spend AU$100 billion over the next 20 years on buying missiles and guided weapons.
Shoebridge said that the home-built missiles would help provide a military deterrent during the current decade while Australia waited for a series of new frigates and attack-class submarines to be built.
He said that in the event of a conflict, Australia would need a lot of missiles quickly and couldn’t rely on importing them on time. He also said that such a scenario was possible, for instance, if Beijing decided the time was right to take control of Taiwan by force.
He added that the announcement also fitted with the US strategy of dispersing its forces and capabilities so it was not vulnerable in any key locations.
