Spend More on Defence, Introduce National Service to Combat ‘Assertive’ China, Analyst Says

‘Australia’s circumstances may not just be the most challenging since the Second World War ... but the worst in our history,’ Mick Ryan said.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers prepare to fire a M777A2 during a joint training exercise in the Combined Arm Live Fire Exercise (Calfex) named Keris Woomera at the Marine Combat Training Center in Situbondo on Nov. 16, 2024. JUNI KRISWANTO/AFP PHOTO/AFP via Getty Images

For many years, Australian defence analysts have been calling for increased spending. After years of inaction, where touted increases have barely kept up with inflation and the rising cost of increasingly sophisticated weaponry, this year the Albanese government announced a target of spending 2.4 percent of GDP by 2033-34.

But that’s nowhere near enough for its major ally, the United States. Back in May, Defense Secretary (now Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth said Australia needed to hit 3.5 percent “as soon as possible,” according to a statement from the Pentagon.