Mr Marles unveils the 2026 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Plan at the National Press Club. Photo: Screenshot.
Defence Minister and acting Prime Minister Richard Marles has released the 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and accompanying Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) at the National Press Club in Canberra.
As expected, rather than revealing any new big-ticket purchases, the biennial documents outline strategies to better respond to rapidly developing asymmetric threats, increase weapons stocks, and to increase base and supply chain resilience in what Mr Marles described as a deteriorating strategic environment.
Australia’s move to increase its defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP matches moves by NATO nations in the face of the threat posed by Russia and increasing uncertainty on the reliability of the US’s commitment to the alliance.
But Mr Marles was quick to point out that, rather than being in response to calls by the Trump administration to increase defence spending, the 3 per cent figure is being used only as a benchmark.
The government says the NDS is designed to focus efforts on developing greater self-reliance through prioritising capability acquisition and sustainment plans.
“The central thesis of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, the 2024 National Defence Strategy and now the 2026 National Defence Strategy – NDS 26 – is to establish a defence force which is completely focused on the challenges of the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Marles said.
“Yet the conflict in the Middle East – while unexpected – does highlight other truths which are also contained in NDS 26 and which contextualise this thesis.
“We live in a deeply interconnected world where a war in Eastern Europe has profound consequences in the Indo-Pacific and where a conflict in the Middle East has disrupted the energy supply of our region.”
It is also seeking to strengthen the resilience of Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base while building stronger international industrial partnerships, to improve national civil preparedness and resilience to help Australia manage and recover from regional or global disruption, and to increase coordination with regional partners to strengthen and preserve the global rules‑based order.
If the NDS provides the overview of Australia’s defence strategy, the IIP is designed to focus in on how the strategy will be achieved.
“The Integrated Investment Program – the IIP – which sits alongside NDS 26 contains an increase in defence spending of $14 billion over the forward estimates and $53 billion over the next decade,” Mr Marles said. “This will be contained in next month’s Federal Budget.”
And while there are no new capabilities flagged in the IIP, at least three which have been on the back burner will be given a greater priority, while others will either be accelerated or expanded, including the ADF’s requirement for a medium-range ground-based air defence (MRGBAD) system which will be given a new lease on life.
This system will expand upon that offered by the Army’s new Project LAND 19 Phase 7B short-range NASAMS system which is currently entering service. The MRGBAD system will enable the ADF to intercept aircraft, missiles, and drones at longer ranges, and will provide a layered approach to the ADF’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) requirements.
Another project which has been on hold in recent years is the AIR 5438 program to replace the Royal Australian Air Force’s 30-year-old BAE Systems Hawk 127 lead-in fighter trainers (LIFT). With the ADF’s recruitment numbers slowly creeping up towards required levels, additional training resources, including fast jets, will be required to accommodate the training throughout for pilots and aircrew.
A renewed emphasis has also been placed on sovereign satellite communications (SATCOM), earth imaging and space domain awareness projects – some of which had previously been paused or cancelled by the Albanese Government – as well as a commitment to providing enhanced space control measures to deter and defeat attempts to interfere with Australia’s use of the space domain.
As expected, the IIP has a strong emphasis on leveraging lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East to expand autonomous and uncrewed land, air and maritime systems, as well as cheaper or attritable or directed energy counter-UAS capabilities, mine countermeasures, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems, but provides little detail on specific capabilities or project timings.
The IIP also confirmed the fourth Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime UAS which is scheduled to be delivered next year will be the RAAF’s last out of an original requirement for seven aircraft, and that the RAAF’s fleet of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornet strike and 12 EA-18G Growlers electronic attack aircraft will be retained until 2040 and continue to be upgraded in parallel with those of the US Navy.
And, as expected, the RAAF’s 10 Alenia/L3Harris C-27J Spartan transports will be replaced, but the IIP did not say whether this would be with a new aircraft type or – more likely – whether the C-27J’s mission will be absorbed into that of the larger number of 20 new Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules due to be delivered from next year.
Interestingly, the documents also flagged a replacement for the RAAF’s six Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and command and control aircraft with a “next generation aircraft”. But with no such aircraft currently in existence, the projected funding may have been set aside in lieu of the US, UK, or other allies offering an alternative.
Other new or expanded capabilities highlighted in the IIP include confirmation the AGM-158C long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) is operational on the F/A-18F, will be integrated with the F-35A and P-8A Poseidon, and there will be a rapid acquisition of tactical electronic warfare (EW) capabilities for high-readiness Army units.
Greater stocks of ADF missiles will also be acquired, including the AGM-84E AARGM-ER, AM-120C/D AMRAAM, AIM-9X, and Mk-48 heavyweight torpedos, and there was also the first official government conformation that the RAAF will acquire the new and still secret long-range AIM-260 JATM air-to-air missile for the F-35A.
There will also be increased investment in fuel resilience and sovereign fuel capability through the Defence Fuel Resilience Program, including increased storage capacity and holdings, and unspecified enhancements to distribution networks including rail and sea.
Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on PS News.
