Australia presented its first-ever national defense strategy on Wednesday, which focuses on the Pacific in the face of
China's
"coercive tactics" and the growing risk of a regional conflagration.
“The optimistic assumptions that guided defense planning after the end of the Cold War are long gone
,” said Defense Minister Richard Marles, who painted a gloomy picture of the regional security situation.
Highlighting that
“China has employed coercive tactics in pursuit of its strategic objectives
,” Richard Marles said that
“Australia no longer has the luxury of a ten-year strategic warning window in the event of conflict”
, as his doctrine has estimated it until now. Instead of focusing on a military capable of carrying out different tasks almost anywhere in the world, the country will now focus on protecting its interests in its immediate region, he detailed.
Unlikely invasion
“We are an island nation that trades by sea
,” he said, adding that Australia must be able to prevent its enemies from blocking access to vital shipping lanes. According to Richard Marles,
"the invasion of Australia is an unlikely prospect in any scenario, precisely because an adversary can cause a lot of damage to our country without ever having to set foot on Australian soil
. "
At the heart of this strategy is the development of a fleet of nuclear-powered stealth submarines, the tripling of its missile capabilities and the development of a vast fleet of surface combatants.
“Having the most efficient navy in our history will be at the heart of our access denial plan and strategy
(defensive approach designed in particular to prevent an adversary from achieving its objective, Editor’s note) ,
”
declared Richard Marles.