Australia unveiled a plan on Tuesday to strengthen its navy by doubling the number of its large combat ships, reaching levels unprecedented since World War II amid the arms race in the Asia-Pacific region.
Canberra plans to increase its defense spending by more than €6.5 billion and build 26 large surface ships over the next decade, more than double the current 11 ships.
“This is the largest fleet we will have since the end of the Second World War,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
“The Royal Australian Navy must be able to ensure the security of our shipping routes (…) as they are essential to our way of life and prosperity,” he added.
Australia will add six Hunter-class frigates, three destroyers, 11 multi-role frigates and six advanced surface combat ships capable of operating unmanned to its fleet.
Several ships will be equipped with American Tomahawk missiles that can carry out long-range strikes deep into enemy territory – an important tool of deterrence.
The announcement comes after a massive buildup of firepower by China and Russia in the region, as well as growing tensions between Washington's allies and these authoritarian governments.
Australia, which has formed the Aukus military alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom, is particularly trying to counter China's influence in the South Pacific.
There is a risk of delays
The plan would see Australia increase its defense spending to 2.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP), above the 2% target set by its NATO allies.
Some of the ships will be built in Australia's shipyards in Adelaide, enough to employ more than 3,700 people, while one ship model will be acquired in the United States and another type of ship could come from either Spain, either Germany or southern Korea or Japan.
In 2021, Australia announced plans to acquire at least three U.S.-developed nuclear submarines, ending an agreement with France to develop conventionally powered submarines in which the country had already invested billions of dollars.
These Virginia-class submarines will not carry nuclear weapons, but are expected to carry long-range cruise missiles.
They will represent a radical strengthening of the country's capabilities in the Asia-Pacific maritime region.
While most experts agree Australia should be able to achieve significant naval capability, the country's major defense projects have long faced delays, sometimes for electoral reasons. They saw cost overruns, government reversals, policy changes and projects that prioritized local job creation over the real needs of their defense.
The government must overcome past mistakes and “waste no time” as competition in the region increases, said Michael Shoebridge, a former senior Australian defense official and now an independent analyst.
In his opinion, the procedures for procuring weapons need to be streamlined, otherwise Canberra will face renewed “delays, construction problems, cost explosions – and in the end ships that are put into service too late and whose systems are overwhelmed by events and technological changes.”