Australia's Defense Overhaul Prioritizes Long-Range Capabilities and Northern Bases Amid China Tensions.

Australia has unveiled its biggest defense overhaul since World War II, shifting its focus to long-range strike capabilities and building munitions at home. The review examined billions of dollars committed by the previous government and reassessed their value against perceived threats, including from an increasingly muscular China under leader Xi Jinping. The highest level of strategic risk that Australia now faces is the prospect of a major conflict in the region, the review added, suggesting a strategy of greater self-sufficiency combined with stronger relationships with its allies and key powers in the region, including Japan and India. The review recommended six priorities starting with developing a nuclear-powered submarine program, previously announced under the AUKUS deal with the United States and the United Kingdom.