CANBERRA (Xinhua) -- Australia needs to "reverse the current situation" and become one of the world's premier arms exporters, according to the nation's Defense Industry Minister Christopher Pyne.
Speaking with local media on Sunday, the minister said that Australia must become self-sufficient in the way that it builds its defence capabilities, adding that creating an arms export industry would deliver self-sufficiency and build strategic relationships with ally nations in the Middle East.
Pyne said he would like to see Australia "design, build and export ships, vehicles, (and) missiles" with the 200 billion Australian dollars (152 billion U.S. dollars) the government has set aside for defence over the next decade.
"My ambition and the government's ambition is to reverse the current situation," Pyne told Fairfax Media, "There's absolutely no reason why we can't be as capable as Italy, Germany, France, Great Britain."
Currently, Australia is the world's sixth largest importer of defence goods, while it is the 20th largest exporter. Pyne said that within two decades, Australia should be exporting arms at similar levels to Germany, Britain and France, behind the United States and Russia as the world's largest defence hardware exporters.
Pyne said that creating a competitive arms industry would do wonders for the alliances which Australia holds with key Middle Eastern nations such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"Why wouldn't we want to cement our relationship with a country like the UAE, which shares many of our values in terms of the geopolitical issues that we face through things like defence exports?" Pyne said.
(Xinhua)
This Aussies are crazy and i love it lol. They are going full throttle on developing equipments and sustaining themselves. That way they are Intredependent. It is a good move but it will be crazy. Man all these major changes risk the aussies sovereignty. Too much developments and changes but for the better. Their airforce had newly A330mrtt, F35s, F18 upgrades. Thats crazy. Their army is looking for their AFV. They are looking to upgrade their MBTs not so soon. They wanted to develop the industrial capability to make their own stuff. Their navy are introduing many ships of different classes and not forgetting subs. Its a major change but they will adapt fast. Only time well tell if it was worth it. Navy part are alrdy having problems like delays. From the newly destroyers to their technically LHD.
BalasHapusIf it becomes a success the aussies will join the league of military builders. U have US, Russians, China, UK, France, Germany, Italians, Swedens, Spanish, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, India, Korea, Iran, Switzerland, Brazil, Canada and recently Japan noe that they decided to sell theirs internationally. This gives a better range of options to choose from for military hardware. Still its the major powers and european companies that majority nations will buy from. The aussies can do just that if they succed.
BalasHapusWithout a clear enemy, who needs a big army?
BalasHapusNot about enemy. About economical power. After all australia is one of the G20s.
Hapus