Australia’s Navy Expands To Largest Since World War II” Increased Aggression Among People
Australia has announced plans to expand its navy to its Largest Since World War II. It is evaluated as a response to China’s increasing activities in the Indo-Pacific region. According to CNN and AFP on the 20th (local time), the Australian government announced a 10-year plan that includes more than doubling the number of major warships and investing $35 billion (about 46.83 trillion won) in defense spending.
Accordingly, Australia plans to increase the number of naval warships from the current 11 to 26. This comprises six frigates of the Hunter class, 11 versatile general-purpose frigates, three air combat destroyers, and six cutting-edge unmanned surface combatants. Some will be armed with Tomahawk missiles, and 25 small combat ships will also be added. “This will be the Navy with the largest fleet since World War II,” said Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.
Australia plans to increase defense spending to 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP). This exceeds NATO’s target of 2%. Although Australia is not a NATO member, it is listed as a NATO partner country along with Korea and Japan. This defense plan was announced amid concerns that Australia would have to respond as China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region has recently increased. Jennifer Parker, a researcher in naval science at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Canberra, Australia, told Australia’s ABC, “It’s probably a sign of how concerned the government and defense are about our security situation.” ·
We may be entering a dangerous period in the Pacific region, with China’s aggressiveness increasing in the South China Sea and Northeast Asia, he said. On the other hand, some experts pointed out that Australia is already prepared to develop a significant naval power and that although it has announced such defense plans, it has suffered from problems such as cost overruns and changes in government policy. Michael Shoebridge, a former senior Australian security official, said warship procurement plans needed to be streamlined, saying “there is no time to waste”.
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