Anthony Albanese will use a key speech to forewarn of “gaps” in Australia’s defence capability and lay the groundwork to bolster defence spending and boost ties with the US in the May budget.
The Prime Minister will outline the government’s national security priorities and confirm the release of the unclassified outcomes from the defence strategic review.
In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Mr Albanese will hint at the contents of an assessment by former chief of defence Sir Angus Houston and former Labor defence minister Stephen Smith for the first time.
“Australia has a strong and deep alliance with the United States, a professional defence force and defence organisation, and an enviable international reputation as a capable country in military, peacekeeping and humanitarian and disaster relief,” the report’s foreword says, according to Mr Albanese.
The defence review, commissioned and conducted over just the past six months, will help the government overhaul the ADF and counter China’s rapid military build up and assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
It’s expected it will lay the foundation for a ramp up in defence spending in the upcoming budget.
Despite the review, which was ordered after the signing of the AUKUS security pact, the government is facing a looming capability gap.
Mr Albanese said despite this, Australia should “take confidence” in the review’s assessment and in our relationship with the United States.
“I can promise all Australians that our Government will ensure that Defence has the resources it needs to defend our nation and deter potential aggressors,” Mr Albanese will say on Wednesday.
“Because with the right investments in our capability and sovereignty, our defence force can be made ready for future challenges.”
The Prime Minister’s address comes just days after the secretary of the Defence Department said Australia must ditch the assumption it would have 10 years to prepare for a conflict.
“We are assuming significant conflict might break out in the Indo-Pacific in less time than that,” Greg Moriarty told a senate estimates hearing last week.
In the coming weeks, the government is also expected to release the “optimal pathway” for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines – a key part of the AUKUS pact.
While Mr Albanese will argue it will be the “single biggest leap” in the nation’s defence capability, he will stress the security alliance goes far beyond just submarines.
“AUKUS is about the future. It further formalises the common values and the shared interest that our three nations have in preserving peace and upholding the rules and institutions that secure our region and our world,” he will say.
Next week, Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil will hold a cyber security roundtable with industry and security experts in Sydney.
The Prime Minister will say the recent Optus and Medibank data breaches have only further underscored the importance of building the nation’s cyber capability.
“We understand that keeping Australians safe means supporting our intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies to guard against threats abroad and here at home, whether that be foreign interference and espionage, or violent extremism in all its forms,” he said.
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