Australia is seriously worried about its defence. This is clear from Canberra's new defence policy review, released earlier this month. But it is not clear what it plans to do about it. The Defence Strategic Update 2020 carries a lot of messages, not all of them credible or mutually consistent. However, the implications for Australia's neighbours in Asia are plain.
Canberra wants to expand defence relations with other regional countries, with the aim of creating a regional coalition directed against China. It wants to rely on this coalition to shield Australia from Beijing's growing military power. But it has no concrete diplomatic ideas about how to build such a coalition, and is doing little to expand its own military capacity to contribute to regional security. This does not bode well for Australia's future strategic role in Asia.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you