On 17 April 2024, Australia announced its new Defence Strategy in the context of major changes in the regional political and security situation. Approaches, core content and priority directions of the Strategy to protect Australia against potential threats are issues of great concern to the international community.

International and regional context

According to international observers, Australia is building a new Defence Strategy in the context of the US and its key allies fully supporting Ukraine in waging a "proxy war" to defeat Russia on the battlefield. Using the excuse of dealing with the "threat of invasion" from Russia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) continues to expand, admitting two new members, Finland and Sweden; at the same time, considering Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand as dialogue partners of the Alliance.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the US considers China a fundamental, systemic and long-term challenge. To contain China, the US is planning to build an "Asian NATO". Accordingly, in 2021, the US, along with the UK and Australia, signed an agreement to build a trilateral security alliance AUKUS - a successor to the ANZUS Agreement from the Cold War era between Australia, New Zealand and the US. According to analysts, the goal of AUKUS is to contain China's strong rise in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to AUKUS, four countries: the US, Australia, India and Japan also formed the Quad Group to contain China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region. The US is also strengthening the establishment of the trilateral alliances of the US - Japan - South Korea; the US - Japan - Philippines are intending to invite Australia to join these alliances. In Southeast Asia - close to Australia, the East Sea is not only a hot spot for sovereignty disputes, but also a focus of increasingly fierce geostrategic competition between major countries, with unpredictable risks. As an island nation, Australia is facing the risk of being commercially isolated or denied access to important air and sea routes. Therefore, even if the enemy does not invade, they may cause a lot of damage to the country. In that context, Australia has announced a new Defence Strategy.

Australia's new approach to defence

Faced with the new strategic environment in the world and the region, Australia must have a new approach to protect its sovereignty and national interests. First of all, Canberra urgently assesses the most serious security risks and challenges that the country faces; on that basis, it builds a comprehensive strategy to resolve the risks and challenges. Next, Australia must revise and supplement the connotation of the concept of “national defence” according to a comprehensive approach to create comprehensive national strength. Another important content in the new approach is to review the defence investment programme in an integrated and focused direction. According to this new approach, Canberra recognises that the organisational structure and equipment of the Australian armed forces are not fully suitable for current and future defence functions and tasks. The defence strategic review report requires the organisational structure of the Australian armed forces to be both joint and centralised to improve combat readiness and rapid response capabilities.

Building a strong Navy will be a priority in Australia's new Defence Strategy

Main contents of the new Defence Strategy

The first content is to identify strategic directions to implement significant and urgent changes to improve defence capabilities, adjust the organisational structure of the Australian armed forces, orient weapons and equipment procurement, recruit defence personnel and participate in international military activities with allies and partners. The new strategy identifies the containment strategy as the foundation for building a defence plan to resolve any conflict; in which, early preventing any potential adversary from attempting to use force to put pressure on Australia, ensuring security to create an environment of cooperation and prosperous development in the region; at the same time, maintaining a strategic balance in the region in a direction favourable to Australia's defence capabilities. The strategy also points out five missions of the Australian armed forces. First, to protect the country and its border regions against any threats. Second, to remotely prevent any attempt by potential adversaries to deploy forces against Australia from the northern approaches. Third, to protect and maintain Australia's economic links with countries in the region and around the world. Fourth, Australia, together with its allies and partners, maintains a common security environment in the Indo-Pacific region. Fifth, together with allies and partners, fight to maintain a “rules-based world order” under US leadership.

The strategy also identifies six key areas that require rapid investment and development, including: (1). Building nuclear submarines and related technical infrastructure to ensure the effective and reliable operation of this new force within the armed forces; (2). Modernising and consolidating enterprises in the defence industry complex to meet domestic and export requirements for weapons and equipment; (3). Expanding and modernising military bases on the northern border for use by the Australian and allied armed forces; (4). Strengthening relations with important allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region; (5). Reforming the Ministry of Defence and related structures to develop the defence industry complex.

To complete defence tasks in the new conditions, the Australian Defence Strategy identifies a number of priority measures to be implemented. First, it will transform Australia’s armed forces from a contingency force capable of responding to a wide range of contingencies into a joint force that is empowered to deal with the most significant strategic challenges and risks in a fundamentally changing security environment. Second, rather than focusing on maintaining a multi-mission force that can operate almost anywhere in the world, Canberra will focus heavily on building a deterrent force that can protect Australia’s interests in the region. The focus of the new strategy is a plan to build a fleet of stealthy nuclear-powered submarines, increase the number of strategic missiles and develop a large surface combatant fleet. In addition, Australia will cut other defence programmes to prioritise investment in developing long-range missiles, drones and warships.

To achieve the mission of the Strategy, the Australian Government’s National Integrated Investment Programme identifies investment priorities to enhance the capability and combat readiness of the armed forces to a level that is sufficient for deterrence. This requires the country to cut back on non-critical and non-urgent projects to focus on investing in new projects that can meet security needs in the new strategic environment; at the same time, increase the defence budget by about 32 billion USD in the next decade. This is the largest increase in defence expenses in the past 50 years of the country.

In implementing the new Defence Strategy, the Australian Government identifies human resource training as the most important element of defence potential. As the Australian armed forces move towards building a comprehensive and concentrated force, defence personnel training and education plans must change to effectively respond to the labour force crisis that Canberra is facing. Accordingly, the Government must recruit, maintain and develop a highly skilled and professional workforce to meet the needs of capacity and defence requirements in the new conditions. Along with that, there must be policies for training, fostering, recruiting and retaining talents, especially policies for treating and providing other health and social services for soldiers and personnel serving in the Australian armed forces.

To effectively respond to the rapidly and significantly changing strategic environment, Australia must cooperate more closely with its allies and partners; in which, maintaining the alliance with the US remains the foundation for ensuring its national security. Therefore, the country will continue to strengthen and expand defence cooperation with the US in many areas: military, science, technology and industry. Along with that, Australia also promotes cooperation with the UK and the US within the framework of AUKUS and considers it a necessary condition to build capacity and rapid response ability of the armed forces in all situations. Australia will also strengthen and deepen defence relationships with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including continuing to expand partnerships with Japan and India in the Quad and partners in Europe.

One of the priorities to implement the new Defence Strategy is to implement the Defence Industrial Complex Development Plan, aiming to create a strong defence industry that is internationally competitive, meeting defence needs and developing the Australian economy. This plan includes programmes of the Australian Government to enhance the capacity of the domestic industry, attract investment from businesses and provide defence goods and services to the armed forces. Accordingly, the Australian Defence Industrial Complex Development Plan will be based on 05 approaches: (1). Building a modern and multi-disciplinary defence industrial complex, where small and medium-sized enterprises have the conditions to cooperate effectively with domestic and international defence companies, not only meeting the requirements of the Australian armed forces but also meeting the requirements of partners; (2). The Australian Government prioritises investment in the defence industrial complex and creates the most favourable conditions for domestic enterprises to participate; (3). Strengthening cooperation between defence industry sectors with universities and research institutions; (4). Developing the export potential of the defence industry complex; (5). Strengthening cooperation with allies and partners in the defence industry to develop the defence industry complex in new conditions.

Apparently, in the context of the volatile situation in the world and the region, it is obvious that Australia announced a new Defence Strategy with many important goals to protect its sovereignty and national interests. However, according to researchers, this also makes the international community more concerned about the possibility of an arms race, as well as negative impacts on the security situation in the region with multiple potential risks of instability.

THUY DUONG – NGUYEN HA