Australia has been a very good friend of the United States. They remain steadfast in Iraq and Afghanistan, work closely with our military in the Pacific region, and have led the coalition trying to bring security and stability to East Timor. The government of Prime Minister John Howard has also been engaged in a defense build-up that will continue into the next decade. Now only if some of our friends in Europe would see the light. From Reuters:
Australia has updated plans to spend more than 51 billion Australian dollars ($38 billion) to build up its military in a move Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said on June 20 would match defense capabilities with potential threats. The 10-year Defence Capability Plan, last updated in 2004, outlines spending on new ships, planes and weapons…. It also allows the military to further commit to the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The government hopes to buy up to 100 F-35s for 16 billion Australian dollars, with a final decision due in late 2008. Nelson said the major features of the new capability plan include 3.7 billion Australian dollars to further rationalize Australia's military helicopter fleet, maintenance and pilot training, and 750 million Australian dollars to upgrade army artillery. It also includes around one billion Australian dollars to refurbish or replace the C-130 Hercules and Caribou aircraft fleets, and more than one billion Australian dollars to improve military satellite communications. He said some projects remained confidential, but almost half of the 51 billion Australian dollars would be spent on electronics, 26 percent on aerospace, 11 percent on new ships and just seven percent on weapons and ammunition.