The arms race in the Pacific continues. Australia unveiled on Thursday, August 22, a €511 million agreement with a Norwegian group to build missiles on its territory by 2027, in order to strengthen its military capabilities. “This is about investing in our advanced manufacturing industry and developing our sovereign defense industrial base,” said Australian Minister for Defense Industry Pat Conroy.
Work is expected to begin as early as this year on a factory in northern Sydney that will be able to produce up to 100 Joint Strike Missiles (JSMs) for naval and air strikes by 2027, an official said. The missiles can be mounted on state-of-the-art US F-35A fighter jets. They will be produced by Norway’s state-owned Kongsberg Gruppen, which designs air defence systems and turrets for military vehicles in addition to missiles.
Faithful ally of the United States
Australia has been bolstering its military capabilities in the face of China’s growing influence in the Pacific and is part of the Aukus military alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States. The three countries signed an agreement on Monday allowing them to exchange information and equipment on naval nuclear propulsion.
The Aukus pact, signed in September 2021, calls for Australia to have a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines by 2040. Australia is also a member of the Quad, an informal alliance with the United States, India and Japan that includes diplomatic meetings and joint military exercises. At their last meeting in late July, they called for a “free and open” Asia-Pacific region in a joint statement. Without directly naming China, the statement referred to a series of clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea.