US EditionAustralia to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2033
The boost includes A$14 billion over four years and a NATO-style accounting change as Australia responds to worsening global security risks.
- On Wednesday, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced Australia will lift defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2033, injecting an extra $53 billion over the next decade to address the most complex strategic circumstances since World War Two.
- Adopting NATO's measurement methodology—which includes defence pensions and housing subsidies for retired Australian Defence Force members—the government responds to what Marles describes as increasingly adverse global trends worsening over two years.
- Investment plans allocate $12 billion for the Henderson shipyard precinct under AUKUS, with costs offset by selling 67 military sites and utilizing "alternative financing arrangements" through private capital and government agencies.
- Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson criticized the announcement, claiming the government "plays a lot of games with numbers" while diverting funds to deliver AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines instead of broadly increasing Defence spending.
- Despite the increase, the 3% target remains below the 3.5% level requested by United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaving Australia under pressure to prove military readiness for modern warfare.
79 Articles
79 Articles
Australia Sets 3 Percent Target for Defence Spending Amid Pressure From Trump Administration
The Albanese Labor government will spend an extra AU$14 billion (US$10 billion) on defence over the next four years, a figure that brings its commitment closer in line with expectations from the Trump administration. The 2026 National Defence Strategy, released this week, outlines an additional $53 billion over the next decade—a rate of increase that is more rapid than what was promised in the 2024 version of the same document. It sets spending …
The Australian government intends to increase defence spending by EUR 32 billion over the next ten years.
Australia Expands Military Spending as Security Concerns Grow
Australia has announced a significant increase in defence spending, with plans to raise it to 3.0% of GDP by 2033. Defence minister Richard Marles said the move reflects growing instability worldwide, warning that international norms that once constrained the use of force and military coercion continue to erode. He added that more countries are now engaged in conflict “than at any time since the end of World War II,” across multiple regions. Th…
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