PM Scott Morrison says Australia to upgrade military bases, expand wargames with US
Soldiers from the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade step into the ocean during an amphibious assault landing on Langham Beach during the Talisman Saber joint military exercises between Australia and the United States in Queensland, northeast Australia
AustraliaPrime Minister Scott Morrisonsaidon Wednesday that the country will spend A$747 million ($580 million) to upgrade four military bases in its north and expand war games with the United States.
An airstrip in the Northern Territory will be lengthened to support larger aircraft, firing ranges overhauled and new training facilities set up for defence personnel and USmarines.
"Working with the United States, our allies and Indo-Pacific neighbours, we will continue to advanceAustralia's interests by investing in theAustralian Defence Force," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said
"Our focus is on pursuing peace, stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific, with a world order that favours freedom."
The military upgrades will begin this year and be finished by 2026.
Australiaand the United States hold biennial war games, the next of which is scheduled to begin in August.
Typically, more than 30,000 troops participate in the exercises offAustralia's east coast.
One ofAustralia's most senior security officials earlier this week said liberal democracies must brace for war.
Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo did not specify the catalyst for his warning but it follows a sharp deterioration inAustralia's relationship with China and a rise in regional tensions over Taiwan.
Relations betweenAustraliaand China have worsened since Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, prompting trade reprisals from Beijing.
Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday said a conflict between China and Taiwan "should not be discounted".
(With inputs from agencies)