'Undefended': Defence expert Malcolm Davis' shock claim about key Australian bases, critical infrasturcture

Sky News AU

5 hours ago

A leading security analyst has made the shock claim many of Australia's key military bases and critical infrastructure is essentially "undefended".
Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, warned the government risked leaving the nation exposed in the even of a conflict unless defence spending was rapidly raised to cover capability gaps.
The Albanese government has come under increasing pressure to address shortfalls in the Australian Defence Force, including from the United States government.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth used a meeting with Defence Minister Richard Marles to demand the government raise outlay to at least 2.5 per cent of GDP, while other experts have pressed Labor to go as high as 3.5 per cent given the increasing risk of regional conflict.
Speaking to Sky New Australia, Mr Davis noted China was expected to invade Taiwan within the coming decade, a move which would likely place the ADF in the firing line and necessitate robust defences in the country's north.
The ASPI analyst claimed such defences were severely lacking at present, suggesting some of Australia's most vital assets were badly exposed.
"Right at the moment, all our critical infrastructure in the north of Australia is essentially undefended," he said.
"The government talks about building integrated air and missile defence systems, and they have developed the command and control system for that, but they don't have any missiles to shoot with.
"They talk about possibly using a naval-based missile or an air-based missile, but those platforms have to be in the right place at the right time.
"So the reality is that all that critical infrastructure of the north or the air bases such as RAAF Tindal, ports and other oil facilities and energy facilities are all undefended."
In light of the "very clear threat" posed by China, Mr Davis urged the government to dramatically ramp up spending on defence in order to ensure the nation remains secure.
"We need to go to a floor of 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending as soon as possible and that means not in 10 years, it means in a year or two," he said.
Under Labor's current plan, spending on defence will not reach 2.5 per cent of GDP until some time after 2033 and there is no clear timeline to increase investment to three per cent or beyond.
While Mr Davis acknowledged increased spending could not just "be money thrown at the Department of Defence", he argued smart investment into long-term resilience was vital.
"That defence spend needs to increase our resilience against attack, that includes integrated air and missile defence systems," he said.
"It needs to include sustainability and building sustainability for protracted war that could last months or years in our region and ensure that we can stay in the fight, a high intensity fight, for that period of time."