SYDNEY: Australia said it will spend more than US$800 million to buy armoured vehicles, adding to its recent spurt of weapons purchases as the government implements its biggest peacetime increase in defence spending.
Canberra will spend A$1.2 billion ($860 million) to buy almost 300 new armoured Bushmaster vehicles and upgrade armoured trucks for the Army, according to a statement from the Department of Defence on Sunday. The vehicles will be built by the local subsidiary of French weapons maker Thales SA.
Australia has been reshaping its military policy since the election of the Labor government in 2022. The change in posture and expanded capability come as power competition intensifies between the US and China in the Indo-Pacific region.
In recent weeks, the government has announced that it would boost defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product by 2033, spending tens of billions of dollars more to buy new naval vessels from Japan, a new air defense system and long-range strike weapons. It also plans to increase the use of unmanned weapons in the air and at sea.
The government is also boosting ties with allies in the region, and will likely sign a new economic security agreement with Japan in early May when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to visit Australia.
Ahead of that visit, Foreign Minister Penny Wong will make a trip to Tokyo from Monday, and also visit China and South Korea, the foreign ministry said Sunday. - Bloomberg
