Latest news with #MarcAblong
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Experts sound the alarm about the huge threat to Australia - and why Albanese needs to do something before it's too late
Australia must urgently boost its defence funding otherwise it risks being stranded in 'no-man's-land' with a 'paper IDF', a prominent thinktank has warned. A report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute praised the Labor government's commitment to long-term defence projects, such as the AUKUS submarine deal, but warned it was not doing nearly enough in the immediate future. 'That slow pace risks leaving the ADF ill-prepared for current threats and unable to keep pace with future challenges, creating a "no-man's-land" of preparedness,' the report's author, former Home Affairs deputy secretary, Marc Ablong wrote. 'The timelines for major acquisitions, especially the nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS partnership, extend well into the next decade and beyond. 'While those future capabilities are strategically important, they offer little immediate enhancement, thus creating a "paper ADF" that lacks readiness for near-term conflict scenarios.' The report, published on Thursday, argued that the March budget was an 'opportunity lost' to increase defence spending. Mr Ablong called for 'defence funding to be increased to reflect the reality of the threats facing Australia'. 'While the Australian Government claims to have made a "generational investment in Australia's Defence", that investment has been put off for another generation,' he wrote. He pointed out that the majority of the billions promised by Labor would not arrive until after 2029. 'While consistency can often be a virtue, it reveals a business-as-usual approach to a world now in crisis and conflict,' Mr Ablong added. 'The rhetoric recognising the threats isn't translating into action to deal with the threats, meaning the government continues to deprioritise the readiness and sustainability of the current force-in-being, with the largest spending increases on capability sustainment tied to the F-35 Lightning force ($190 million) and Collins-class submarines ($235 million).' Mr Ablong further warned that Australia risked falling behind other major players, such as China, in the Indo-Pacific. 'Australia risks a brittle and hollowed defence force, diminished industrial sovereignty, and compromised national security in a volatile Indo-Pacific region,' he added. The criticisms were rejected by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who slammed the 'predictable' report, claiming ASPI was 'run by people who've been in a position to make a difference in the past as part of former governments'. 'I think they need to have a look at themselves as well and the way that they conduct themselves in debates,' Albanese said on Thursday morning. 'We've had a Defence Strategic Review. We've got considerable additional investment going into defence – $10 billion.' There is growing tension in the Indo-Pacific region.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Australia's defence spending creating a ‘paper ADF', think tank warns
Australia must boost its immediate readiness to go to war or risk having a 'paper ADF', a leading defence think tank warns. In a report published on Thursday, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said that while Labor was spending on longer-term projects it was not pumping nearly enough cash into keeping Australia combat-ready in the near term. The report, authored by former Home Affairs deputy secretary Marc Ablong, called for 'defence funding to be increased to reflect the reality of the threats facing Australia'. It said that while the Albanese government 'claims to have made a 'generational investment in Australia's defence', that investment has been put off for another generation', pointing out that the bulk of the billions pledged by Labor would not kick in until after 2029. With the Albanese government itself predicting a major global conflict by 2034 and analysts warning of a US-China conflict before 2030, Mr Ablong argued that the money was not flowing fast enough. 'While consistency can often be a virtue, it reveals a businessâ€'asâ€'usual approach to a world now in crisis and conflict,' the report said. 'The rhetoric recognising the threats isn't translating into action to deal with the threats, meaning the government continues to deprioritise the readiness and sustainability of the current forceâ€'inâ€'being with the largest spending increases on capability sustainment tied to the Fâ€'35 Lightning force ($190m) and Collinsâ€'class submarines ($235m).' It warned that the 'Indoâ€'Pacific region is undeniably an epicentre of a burgeoning rearmament'. 'Australia is a part of that rearmament, although others are moving much faster than us,' the report said. 'The current military correlation of forces between Australia and our region is growing. 'Consequentially, a central concern we express in this report is the gap between strategic intent and tangible capability delivery.' Mr Ablong wrote that the 'timelines for major acquisitions', such as AUKUS, 'extend well into the next decade and beyond' and did little to deal with immediate threats. 'While those future capabilities are strategically important, they offer little immediate enhancement, thus creating a 'paper ADF' that lacks readiness for nearâ€'term conflict scenarios,' the report said. 'That prioritisation of future over current readiness contributes to a hollowing out of the force, in which personnel shortages and limited munitions stockpiles exacerbate sustainability concerns.' Anthony Albanese has hit back at the report, saying ASPI needed to 'have a look at themselves as well and the way that they conduct themselves in debates'. 'We've got considerable additional investment going into defence – $10bn,' the Prime Minister told the ABC. 'We're lifting up our defence expenditure up to 2.4 per cent of GDP, we're investing in assets and our capability. 'We're also investing in our relationships in the region, that's very important as well.' Mr Albanese said the think tank was 'run by people who've been in a position to make a difference in the past as part of former governments', adding that it was 'predictable, frankly'.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Australia's defence spending creating a ‘paper ADF', think tank warns
Australia must boost its immediate readiness to go to war or risk having a 'paper ADF', a leading defence think tank warns. In a report published on Thursday, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said that while Labor was spending on longer-term projects it was not pumping nearly enough cash into keeping Australia combat-ready in the near term. The report, authored by former Home Affairs deputy secretary Marc Ablong, called for 'defence funding to be increased to reflect the reality of the threats facing Australia'. It said that while the Albanese government 'claims to have made a 'generational investment in Australia's defence', that investment has been put off for another generation', pointing out that the bulk of the billions pledged by Labor would not kick in until after 2029. With the Albanese government itself predicting a major global conflict by 2034 and analysts warning of a US-China conflict before 2030, Mr Ablong argued that the money was not flowing fast enough. 'While consistency can often be a virtue, it reveals a business‑as‑usual approach to a world now in crisis and conflict,' the report said. 'The rhetoric recognising the threats isn't translating into action to deal with the threats, meaning the government continues to deprioritise the readiness and sustainability of the current force‑in‑being with the largest spending increases on capability sustainment tied to the F‑35 Lightning force ($190m) and Collins‑class submarines ($235m).' It warned that the 'Indo‑Pacific region is undeniably an epicentre of a burgeoning rearmament'. 'Australia is a part of that rearmament, although others are moving much faster than us,' the report said. 'The current military correlation of forces between Australia and our region is growing. 'Consequentially, a central concern we express in this report is the gap between strategic intent and tangible capability delivery.' Mr Ablong wrote that the 'timelines for major acquisitions', such as AUKUS, 'extend well into the next decade and beyond' and did little to deal with immediate threats. 'While those future capabilities are strategically important, they offer little immediate enhancement, thus creating a 'paper ADF' that lacks readiness for near‑term conflict scenarios,' the report said. 'That prioritisation of future over current readiness contributes to a hollowing out of the force, in which personnel shortages and limited munitions stockpiles exacerbate sustainability concerns.' Anthony Albanese has hit back at the report, saying ASPI needed to 'have a look at themselves as well and the way that they conduct themselves in debates'. 'We've got considerable additional investment going into defence – $10bn,' the Prime Minister told the ABC. 'We're lifting up our defence expenditure up to 2.4 per cent of GDP, we're investing in assets and our capability. 'We're also investing in our relationships in the region, that's very important as well.' Mr Albanese said the think tank was 'run by people who've been in a position to make a difference in the past as part of former governments', adding that it was 'predictable, frankly'. 'What we're doing is getting on with the defence assets and providing the investment for those assets to be upgraded,' he said.
AU Financial Review
3 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Defence budget misses ‘crucial opportunity' to prepare for challenges
Australia risks falling behind on current defence spending levels with a major re-armament under way in the Indo-Pacific, a report warns. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute released its analysis of the 2025/26 defence budget on Thursday, claiming defence funding fails to address the seriousness of threats facing the nation. The budget misses a 'crucial opportunity' to prepare Australia's military and defence industrial base for future challenges, the report says. Under the Albanese government's spending plans, defence spending is set to rise to about 2.3 per cent of GDP within a decade. While the government has committed to bringing forward $1 billion in funding, the report says no 'significant uplift' is expected until after 2028/29, despite the current era being described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of World War II. The nation's strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report's principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said. 'Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising,' he told AAP. The government needs to urgently reform defence so it can better collaborate with industry, said Ablong, who is a senior fellow of the institute. He said the nation needed to acquire capability fast, and attempts to 'Australianise' everything through modifications took time, introduced risk and added costs. The report recommends the government commit to funding national resilience measures across the economy and society to ensure Australia is ready to manage potential national security crises. It also calls for improved transparency and for defence to increase its public messaging. In the information war, Australia needs a defence communications strategy to combat nations with propaganda expertise. 'The bureaucracy is being beaten by loud voices amplified by foreign adversaries,' the report said. Ablong said Defence culture should be overhauled, with the biggest change being an embrace of risk, while labelling it's decision making process 'too slow'. He said the military had struggled to integrate women and minorities.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Australia 'risks falling behind' without defence reform
Australia risks falling behind on current defence spending levels with a major re-armament under way in the Indo-Pacific, a report warns. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute released its analysis of the 2025/26 defence budget on Thursday, claiming defence funding fails to address the seriousness of threats facing the nation. The budget misses a "crucial opportunity" to prepare Australia's military and defence industrial base for future challenges, the report says. Under the Albanese government's spending plans, defence spending is set to rise to about 2.3 per cent of GDP within a decade. While the government has committed to bringing forward $1 billion in funding, the report says no "significant uplift" is expected until after 2028/29, despite the current era being described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of World War II. The nation's strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report's principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said. "Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising," he told AAP. The government needs to urgently reform Defence so it can better collaborate with industry, said Mr Ablong, who is a senior fellow of the institute. He said the nation needed to acquire capability fast, and attempts to "Australianise" everything through modifications took time, introduced risk and added costs. The report recommends the government commit to funding national resilience measures across the economy and society to ensure Australia is ready to manage potential national security crises. It also calls for improved transparency and for Defence to increase its public messaging. In the information war, Australia needs a defence communications strategy to combat nations with propaganda expertise. "The bureaucracy is being beaten by loud voices amplified by foreign adversaries," the report said. Mr Ablong said Defence culture should be overhauled, with the biggest change being an embrace of risk, while labelling it's decision making process "too slow". He said the military had struggled to integrate women and minorities. Defence was also failing to get maximum productivity out of its people as they treated the "workforce as a number rather than as human beings". On the Chinese navy ships that circumnavigated the country earlier in 2025, Mr Ablong said the nation should have "made it difficult", whether they left Australia's exclusive economic zone or not. "What did we tell China by the fact that we weren't constantly telling them that we knew where they were and what they were doing? It says you're free to operate wherever you want to," he said. Australia risks falling behind on current defence spending levels with a major re-armament under way in the Indo-Pacific, a report warns. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute released its analysis of the 2025/26 defence budget on Thursday, claiming defence funding fails to address the seriousness of threats facing the nation. The budget misses a "crucial opportunity" to prepare Australia's military and defence industrial base for future challenges, the report says. Under the Albanese government's spending plans, defence spending is set to rise to about 2.3 per cent of GDP within a decade. While the government has committed to bringing forward $1 billion in funding, the report says no "significant uplift" is expected until after 2028/29, despite the current era being described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of World War II. The nation's strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report's principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said. "Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising," he told AAP. The government needs to urgently reform Defence so it can better collaborate with industry, said Mr Ablong, who is a senior fellow of the institute. He said the nation needed to acquire capability fast, and attempts to "Australianise" everything through modifications took time, introduced risk and added costs. The report recommends the government commit to funding national resilience measures across the economy and society to ensure Australia is ready to manage potential national security crises. It also calls for improved transparency and for Defence to increase its public messaging. In the information war, Australia needs a defence communications strategy to combat nations with propaganda expertise. "The bureaucracy is being beaten by loud voices amplified by foreign adversaries," the report said. Mr Ablong said Defence culture should be overhauled, with the biggest change being an embrace of risk, while labelling it's decision making process "too slow". He said the military had struggled to integrate women and minorities. Defence was also failing to get maximum productivity out of its people as they treated the "workforce as a number rather than as human beings". On the Chinese navy ships that circumnavigated the country earlier in 2025, Mr Ablong said the nation should have "made it difficult", whether they left Australia's exclusive economic zone or not. "What did we tell China by the fact that we weren't constantly telling them that we knew where they were and what they were doing? It says you're free to operate wherever you want to," he said. Australia risks falling behind on current defence spending levels with a major re-armament under way in the Indo-Pacific, a report warns. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute released its analysis of the 2025/26 defence budget on Thursday, claiming defence funding fails to address the seriousness of threats facing the nation. The budget misses a "crucial opportunity" to prepare Australia's military and defence industrial base for future challenges, the report says. Under the Albanese government's spending plans, defence spending is set to rise to about 2.3 per cent of GDP within a decade. While the government has committed to bringing forward $1 billion in funding, the report says no "significant uplift" is expected until after 2028/29, despite the current era being described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of World War II. The nation's strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report's principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said. "Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising," he told AAP. The government needs to urgently reform Defence so it can better collaborate with industry, said Mr Ablong, who is a senior fellow of the institute. He said the nation needed to acquire capability fast, and attempts to "Australianise" everything through modifications took time, introduced risk and added costs. The report recommends the government commit to funding national resilience measures across the economy and society to ensure Australia is ready to manage potential national security crises. It also calls for improved transparency and for Defence to increase its public messaging. In the information war, Australia needs a defence communications strategy to combat nations with propaganda expertise. "The bureaucracy is being beaten by loud voices amplified by foreign adversaries," the report said. Mr Ablong said Defence culture should be overhauled, with the biggest change being an embrace of risk, while labelling it's decision making process "too slow". He said the military had struggled to integrate women and minorities. Defence was also failing to get maximum productivity out of its people as they treated the "workforce as a number rather than as human beings". On the Chinese navy ships that circumnavigated the country earlier in 2025, Mr Ablong said the nation should have "made it difficult", whether they left Australia's exclusive economic zone or not. "What did we tell China by the fact that we weren't constantly telling them that we knew where they were and what they were doing? It says you're free to operate wherever you want to," he said. Australia risks falling behind on current defence spending levels with a major re-armament under way in the Indo-Pacific, a report warns. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute released its analysis of the 2025/26 defence budget on Thursday, claiming defence funding fails to address the seriousness of threats facing the nation. The budget misses a "crucial opportunity" to prepare Australia's military and defence industrial base for future challenges, the report says. Under the Albanese government's spending plans, defence spending is set to rise to about 2.3 per cent of GDP within a decade. While the government has committed to bringing forward $1 billion in funding, the report says no "significant uplift" is expected until after 2028/29, despite the current era being described by authorities as the most dangerous since the end of World War II. The nation's strategic environment was deteriorating rapidly, the report's principal author and former Home Affairs department deputy secretary Marc Ablong said. "Australia faces a real risk of being left behind at the very time when the potential use of the ADF as a military force is rising," he told AAP. The government needs to urgently reform Defence so it can better collaborate with industry, said Mr Ablong, who is a senior fellow of the institute. He said the nation needed to acquire capability fast, and attempts to "Australianise" everything through modifications took time, introduced risk and added costs. The report recommends the government commit to funding national resilience measures across the economy and society to ensure Australia is ready to manage potential national security crises. It also calls for improved transparency and for Defence to increase its public messaging. In the information war, Australia needs a defence communications strategy to combat nations with propaganda expertise. "The bureaucracy is being beaten by loud voices amplified by foreign adversaries," the report said. Mr Ablong said Defence culture should be overhauled, with the biggest change being an embrace of risk, while labelling it's decision making process "too slow". He said the military had struggled to integrate women and minorities. Defence was also failing to get maximum productivity out of its people as they treated the "workforce as a number rather than as human beings". On the Chinese navy ships that circumnavigated the country earlier in 2025, Mr Ablong said the nation should have "made it difficult", whether they left Australia's exclusive economic zone or not. "What did we tell China by the fact that we weren't constantly telling them that we knew where they were and what they were doing? It says you're free to operate wherever you want to," he said.
