Come Monday Scott Morrison the Australian prime minster is set to announce a $500m (340 million) funding boost to Australia’s special forces. Morrison said Australia’s elite soldiers needed to be safe in battlefields.
A total of $3bn over 20 years for the elite forces is to be delivered over four years – is the first stage of Project Greyfin.
Linda Reynolds the defense minister stated the funding would go to medical search and rescue, communications, and “human performance training and support” but most of it would be for mostly be for equipment such as body armor, weapons, diving and parachuting equipment and roping and climbing systems.
She stated that, “Our special forces, now more than ever, need to be ready and able to deploy on operations anywhere in the world, at short notice, and in very uncertain conditions,”
“This first stage of funding enables our special forces to engage with intelligence, science and technology, and innovation organisations to ensure future threats and opportunities are assessed, to make sure we are delivering them the capability they need in the future.”
Morrison stated that “Australian Special Forces undertake complex, highly demanding operations in high threat environments,” and “Global threats will continue to evolve. This funding will ensure our Special Forces have cutting edge capabilities to stay ahead of those who might threaten Australia’s interests.”
Professor Hugh White from the Australian National University called for a doubling of submarine and fighter aircraft spending.
The spending is part of the government’s commitment to restore defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2020-21. World Bank data showed Australia’s military spending at 1.89% of GDP in 2018.
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**Image from Australian War Memorial