Australia Boosts Military Spending

The Iran war had greatly complicated the global strategic landscape, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday as he announced a major increase in Australian military spending.

Marles released the latest two-year update of Australia’s defense strategy and said an additional 53 billion Australian dollars ($38 billion) in spending on defense was planned over the next decade.

Australia’s defense budget would grow from 2.8% of GDP this year to 3% by 2033 as “Australia faces its most complex and threatening strategic circumstances since the end of World War II,” Marles said.

Asked how much more complex and threatening Australia’s circumstances were since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, Marles told reporters, “It greatly complicates the global strategic landscape. The world feels less safe.” AP