Australia will spend A$500 million ($340 million) to improve the capability of its special forces troops, the government said on Monday. This is the first stage of a $3 billion, 20-year plan that will enable a better response to security threats at home and abroad.
The spending comes after some high-profile security incidents in Sydney and Melbourne in recent years and as Australia seeks to play a more prominent role in the Pacific, Reuters said.
“It is in Australia’s national interest to have an independent and sovereign Indo-Pacific where all the nations of this part of the world can move freely according to the rule of law,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters at the Holsworthy Army base in Sydney.
Last month, Australia announce plans to create a new military unit to train and assist its allies in the Pacific. The country’s spending on defense will reach 2 percent of GDP by the fiscal year ending June 2021 – which US President Donald Trump has said should be the spending goal for NATO alliance members.