Latest news with #NationalDefenceStrategy
Herald Sun
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Australian Army chief identifies problems with troop training in leaked letter
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australian Army recruits are 'not up to scratch' and lack the mental strength to take on criticism or be 'yelled at', a unit commander has claimed. The criticism comes as a leaked letter – written in December by Deputy Chief of the Army Major General Christopher Smith – identified a range of deficiencies in the force's troop training. Support units were particularly affected, with the letter claiming personnel lacked 'competency in foundational soldiering skills [including] navigation, digging pits, putting up wire, patrolling and air sentry duties'. The result: 'non-arms corp units are finding it necessary to expend valuable time teaching foundational skills rather than on collective training, inhibiting the value troops draw from exercises'. Major Smith's letter urged commanders to shift their priorities and focus on improving the physical, psychological and social conditioning (or group cohesion) of troops, representing a broader philosophical change in the army's approach to training – to ensure the army can meet the nation's 'changing situation'. A defence spokesman confirmed General Smith wrote the letter to all army commanders in December, saying it was 'intended to reflect on the force's posture changes and strategic circumstances as outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy'. But one commander, speaking under anonymity, suggests the letter speaks to his own deeper concerns about troop standards claiming some were simply 'not up to scratch'. They claim cadets lacked the mental fortitude expected of a soldier, being unable to take on criticism or withstand 'being yelled at'. The letter also flagged remote training as a problem, being at odds with the army's philosophical shift, stating in-person experiences were preferable as they built 'camaraderie, resilience, and readiness in ways that remote learning cannot replicate'. The letter emphasised on multiple occasions the need to change immediately, with General Smith explaining that he took 'the unusual step' of issuing the letter to all commanders rather than following a standard top-down process, 'because the requirement to adapt is urgent'. 'Army Headquarters is leading the development of doctrine for the essential physical, psychological, and social conditioning we seek to instil across the force,' the letter says. 'That work is important however, action cannot wait for top-down directives. 'In the interim, I encourage you to take immediate steps to reflect this change in the bias of our training to the extent you are able and to the extent resources and staffing allows. 'Time is the critical resource for conditioning our soldiers and officers. Exploit it fully.' Defence would not clarify why General Smith's letter reiterated a sense of urgency, but a spokeswoman said there have already been changes within the army over the last six months since the letter was sent – including an increase in the number of weeks troops spent going through basic training. Minister for Defence Richard Marles declined to comment. Originally published as Deputy Chief of the Army instructs commanders to fix 'deficiencies' with troop training as some units lack basic soldier skills
The Age
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
Trump's AUKUS review is routine, not a harbinger of collapse
News that the US Department of Defence has launched an AUKUS review has Canberra's defence circles in overdrive, with familiar critics already proclaiming the pact is 'sinking'. Yet this outbreak of anxiety poses a bigger danger than the review itself. Washington's routine stocktake changes nothing fundamental: the risks are unchanged and the safeguards Australia has put in place remain fit for purpose. Although the Pentagon has yet to confirm the review, reputable reporting – and Canberra's evident lack of surprise – makes its existence clear. Commentators have blamed everything from tariff spats to Australia's sanctions on Israeli ministers and Washington's call for higher defence spending. Far likelier, the new Trump administration has folded AUKUS into its accelerated National Defence Strategy rewrite, scheduled for release in August – the first since the partnership's AUKUS 'optimal pathway' was outlined in 2023. Notably, the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, Elbridge Colby, is steering both the AUKUS review and the National Defence Strategy rewrite. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, has indicated publicly that he has known of it for weeks – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth likely told him during the Shangri-La dialogue. The leak itself appears timed to squeeze Canberra ahead of a likely G7 meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, following Australia's public refusal to lift defence spending simply because Washington asked. Despite domination of the AUKUS discussion, the review heralds no fundamental shift for AUKUS. Defence projects are never 'run-of-the-mill', and this, Australia's most ambitious and expensive, carries a significant degree of risk. Risk that requires vigilance rather than complacency. Even so, the partnership's underlying risk profile remains unchanged. The challenges of workforce, timeframes and the low US submarine production rate remain the same as they were when the deal was announced in 2021 and Australia's nuclear-powered submarine 'optimal pathway' was agreed in 2023. So, what will the review likely conclude? Congress already locked the key AUKUS provisions into law via the 2023 National Defence Authorisation Act, and bipartisan backing remains solid. Senior officials keep reinforcing that support: Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls AUKUS a 'blueprint' for allied co-operation; Hegseth says the president is 'fully behind it'. Even Elbridge Colby – now leading the review – told Congress in March: 'We should do everything possible to make this work.' Despite the glaring absence of AUKUS in Hegseth's Shangri-La speech, the political framing, in short, is favourable. Why wouldn't the review be favourable? AUKUS delivers plenty for Washington. Australia is injecting $5 billion into America's submarine yards and will host US boats for maintenance, cutting transit and refit times. Beyond the deal itself, Canberra has deepened force-posture support: rotating marines through Darwin, basing US bombers and expanding logistics hubs. All this sits atop Australia's indispensable intelligence and communications infrastructure – Pine Gap and the Harold E. Holt station – that lets the US talk to its nuclear-powered submarines across the Indo-Pacific. The benefits, for America, only multiply from there. Australia sits at the core of America's ability to respond to any China-related crisis in the Indo-Pacific – and preparing for that contingency is reportedly a pillar of the US interim National Defence Strategy. It was front and centre in Hegseth's Shangri-La speech, in which he warned of an 'imminent' regional threat from Beijing. Across South-East and North-East Asia, Australia is viewed as Washington's closest ally. If the US back-pedalled on – or seriously weakened – AUKUS, regional capitals would notice immediately, eroding US credibility and its strategy aimed at deterring China.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump's AUKUS review is routine, not a harbinger of collapse
News that the US Department of Defence has launched an AUKUS review has Canberra's defence circles in overdrive, with familiar critics already proclaiming the pact is 'sinking'. Yet this outbreak of anxiety poses a bigger danger than the review itself. Washington's routine stocktake changes nothing fundamental: the risks are unchanged and the safeguards Australia has put in place remain fit for purpose. Although the Pentagon has yet to confirm the review, reputable reporting – and Canberra's evident lack of surprise – makes its existence clear. Commentators have blamed everything from tariff spats to Australia's sanctions on Israeli ministers and Washington's call for higher defence spending. Far likelier, the new Trump administration has folded AUKUS into its accelerated National Defence Strategy rewrite, scheduled for release in August – the first since the partnership's AUKUS 'optimal pathway' was outlined in 2023. Notably, the US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, Elbridge Colby, is steering both the AUKUS review and the National Defence Strategy rewrite. Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, has indicated publicly that he has known of it for weeks – US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth likely told him during the Shangri-La dialogue. The leak itself appears timed to squeeze Canberra ahead of a likely G7 meeting between Donald Trump and Anthony Albanese, following Australia's public refusal to lift defence spending simply because Washington asked. Despite domination of the AUKUS discussion, the review heralds no fundamental shift for AUKUS. Defence projects are never 'run-of-the-mill', and this, Australia's most ambitious and expensive, carries a significant degree of risk. Risk that requires vigilance rather than complacency. Even so, the partnership's underlying risk profile remains unchanged. The challenges of workforce, timeframes and the low US submarine production rate remain the same as they were when the deal was announced in 2021 and Australia's nuclear-powered submarine 'optimal pathway' was agreed in 2023. So, what will the review likely conclude? Congress already locked the key AUKUS provisions into law via the 2023 National Defence Authorisation Act, and bipartisan backing remains solid. Senior officials keep reinforcing that support: Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls AUKUS a 'blueprint' for allied co-operation; Hegseth says the president is 'fully behind it'. Even Elbridge Colby – now leading the review – told Congress in March: 'We should do everything possible to make this work.' Despite the glaring absence of AUKUS in Hegseth's Shangri-La speech, the political framing, in short, is favourable. Why wouldn't the review be favourable? AUKUS delivers plenty for Washington. Australia is injecting $5 billion into America's submarine yards and will host US boats for maintenance, cutting transit and refit times. Beyond the deal itself, Canberra has deepened force-posture support: rotating marines through Darwin, basing US bombers and expanding logistics hubs. All this sits atop Australia's indispensable intelligence and communications infrastructure – Pine Gap and the Harold E. Holt station – that lets the US talk to its nuclear-powered submarines across the Indo-Pacific. The benefits, for America, only multiply from there. Australia sits at the core of America's ability to respond to any China-related crisis in the Indo-Pacific – and preparing for that contingency is reportedly a pillar of the US interim National Defence Strategy. It was front and centre in Hegseth's Shangri-La speech, in which he warned of an 'imminent' regional threat from Beijing. Across South-East and North-East Asia, Australia is viewed as Washington's closest ally. If the US back-pedalled on – or seriously weakened – AUKUS, regional capitals would notice immediately, eroding US credibility and its strategy aimed at deterring China.
West Australian
05-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Anthony Albanese likely to delay defence funding strategy update despite expected Trump pressure
The Government is likely to wait for a defence strategy update due next year before revealing any funding boost, despite strong expectations Donald Trump will pressure Anthony Albanese over Australia's budget position at their imminent meeting. Government ministers have pointed to the national defence strategy, expected to be released around April, as they argue it's more important to work out what to spend any new money on than promise an arbitrary figure. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week told Australian minister Richard Marles that America wants Australia to lift its spending rapidly to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said the point of setting up a biennial formal process was to make sure 'there is a regular drumbeat of those activities' in assessing what the strategic situation meant for capability, acquisition, sustainment, 'and how that flows into the budget'. 'The point around the National Defence Strategy and that being updated and reported to Parliament every two years is it makes sure that the entire system ... is doing that process in an orderly way and providing that public transparency around how we are engaging in supporting Defence and building the capability that's required in the strategic circumstances we face as those change as well,' he said. His comments came a day after Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Government was 'open to having a conversation about increasing defence spending' but also pointed to the national defence strategy as a way to focus on doing what mattered most first. Chief of the Defence Force David Johnston said the two-yearly strategy gave Defence the chance to offer its 'frank advice' on the need to increase spending. The previous national defence strategy was released in April 2024 and the next one, which Defence has already started writing, is expected early next year. But as allies like the United Kingdom and Germany increase their spending commitments, the pressure is on Australia to follow suit. Strategic studies expert Peter Dean said while the Prime Minister was taking the right approach in prioritising capabilities over a dollar figure, the spending as a proportion of GDP figure had become a 'signal of will' on the international stage. '(It) has become a political proxy, both internationally and domestically, about commitment and will in terms of defending yourself, but also matching your international partners. And of course, certainly the Trump administration has taken that proxy amount and has doubled and tripled down on that,' he told The Nightly. 'Of course, it's actually a really bad way to do defence funding, because GDP goes up and GDP goes down.' However, he saw the openness of government to spending more as a good starting point. The release of the defence strategy would give the Government a chance to convince sceptical voters why spending had to be increased, he said. Mr Albanese is expected to meet Mr Trump when he travels to Canada for the G7 summit later this month for a discussion likely to canvass the AUKUS partnership, Defence spending, trade and critical minerals. Professor Dean said it appeared Mr Albanese was positioning himself to have a conversation with the President 'that moves beyond the vagaries of GDP numbers to discuss things about specific capabilities and specific things that we might want to partner with the US on' in a more nuanced way. But he was sceptical whether the tactic would work. 'President Trump is so mercurial and President Trump has proven he's not into the depths of policy nuance,' he said. 'He skates along the surface of things, and he loves shorthand proxies to explain almost everything, whether they have a basis in truth or not.'
Hans India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Maldives to receive Guardian-class patrol boat from Australia
Australia will gift an Australian-built Guardian-class Patrol Boat to Maldives, country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles and Maldives Minister of Defence, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, announced in Male on Monday. In addition to the new vessel, Australia will also gift a multi-beam echo sounder to Maldives. The hydrographic equipment will support Maldives' capability to map its ocean floor, helping to ensure maritime safety and unlock economic development, said the Australian Defence Ministry. The Guardian-class Patrol Boat is under construction and due for completion in 2026. "This announcement is a key milestone in our bilateral relationship and a significant step towards enhancing Maldives' capability to protect its sovereign waters and contribute to maritime security in the Indian Ocean. The Guardian-class Patrol Boat will provide Maldives a more persistent presence in its vast exclusive economic zone to deter, detect and disrupt illegal maritime activities," read a statement issued by the Australian Defence Ministry. Working closely with Maldives, Australia will develop a maintenance and sustainment package to support the vessel. This initiative, Australia said, upholds its shared commitment to security, stability, and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). "Australia is proud to partner with Maldives to support its maritime security capability. In line with our National Defence Strategy, Australia is working with partners across the Northeast Indian Ocean to maintain regional security and stability. Australia is pleased to gift a Guardian-class Patrol Boat to Maldives and will continue to seek opportunities to deepen our long-standing defence partnership. As Indian Ocean countries, Australia and Maldives share a vision of our region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous," said Marles. After attending the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore from May 30-June 1, Marles is travelling to South and Southeast Asia from June 2-5 for high-level meetings. He will meet leaders and counterparts in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia to deepen diplomatic and defence partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. "The visit to India coincides with the fifth anniversary of Australia and India's Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underpins our relationship and shared vision for the Indian Ocean," the Australian Defence Ministry stated.
