One of Australia’s leading defence analysts has warned the nation must rapidly increase military spending as we may no longer be able to rely on the US for aid in an attack.
To have a more self-reliant military, Hugh White says Australia must massively reorganise its planned defence structure by selling off most of its surface ships, replacing them with a fleet of submarines and more strike aircraft.
Mr White says we are less sure the US will remain the primary power in Asia, and the more it backs away from leadership in the region, the less valuable its alliance with Australia will be.