The US State Department approved a potential sale of Tomahawk missile systems worth $895 million to Australia, further tightening security ties between the two nations.
The provision of as many as 220 Tomahawk missiles to Australia would “support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
“It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the agency said, adding Australia would use the missiles for domestic defense and deterrence of “regional threats.”
Tomahawks are subsonic cruise missiles that launch from ships and submarines and provide long-range, deep strike capability.
The sale of the Tomahawk weapons systems was initially mooted under former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said they would be fielded on Australia’s Hobart class destroyers.
Australia is undertaking a buildup of its defense capabilities to counter Beijing’s military expansion, including its construction of bases on artificial islands and atolls in the South China Sea.
A major review into Australia’s defense forces is expected to be released in mid-April. On Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it would examine “what are the assets that Australia needs to defend ourselves and where should those assets be located.”
Part of the review would also assess if Australia was getting the “best value for money” from its military, Albanese said.
“We face the greatest strategic uncertainty since 1945,” Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Friday.
“We face a regional arms race” and the best way to deal with that is by investing in the best capability, Conroy said. “This is how we promote peace and stability, by putting question marks in any potential adversary’s mind.”
The news comes in the same week as the Aukus partners — Australia, the UK and the US — announced a road map for Australia’s acquisition of a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines.
Australia will purchase as many as five US Virginia-class submarines, with the first to arrive in the early 2030s, before manufacturing its own model based on a UK design. The first homemade nuclear-powered submarines will be ready in the early 2040s.
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