Australia Announces $4.7 Bln Missile Deal with US

Australia announced Tuesday a $4.7 billion deal to arm its navy with cutting-edge US medium and long-range missiles.

The agreement, hailed by Canberra as a “significant milestone.” In April, Australia unveiled a defense strategy that envisaged a sharp rise in defense spending to counter its vulnerability to foes interrupting trade or preventing access to vital air and sea routes.

“Australia faces the most complex geo-strategic environment since the Second World War,” said Australia’s minister for defence industry, Pat Conroy, who was visiting Washington.

The “world-leading” missiles would “keep Australians safe, deter any adversary, and defend Australia’s national interests in the missile age,” he said.

The new US missiles demonstrate the Australian Defence Force (ADF) intention to enhance the “lethality” of its navy, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

They “will enable our Navy to strike maritime, land, and air targets at long-range, and provide a terminal ballistic missile defense capability, boosting the capacity for the ADF to safeguard Australians and their interests,” he said.