Latest news with #DefendingAustraliaSummit
Sky News AU
08-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
ADF set for major re-structure as Richard Marles plans dump top defence chiefs due to mounting budget constraints
Defence Minister Richard Marles will carry out a significant overhaul of the Australian Defence Force which could include the axing of numerous high-ranking officials and public servants as the government works to consolidate the defence budget. The reforms, dubbed the 'everything's on the table' re-model could encompass the dumping of the ADF'S upper echelons and top brass. These include up to 25 star-ranked ADF commanders according to The Australian, in addition to 20–40 senior officers as costs begin to blowout for numerous defence projects including new frigates and long-range missile systems. The government is also mulling fusing multiple departments together, with the expansive and underachieving Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group set to be merged with the Guided Weapons Explosive Ordnance Enterprise and the Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Groups. Mr Marles first touted the restructure last month and said the ADF needed to be 'fit for purpose' with the reforms now reportedly taking shape. The Deputy Prime Minister said at The Australian's Defending Australia Summit in June that his department needed to drastically improve its performance and that the reforms would be widespread in scope. 'Delivery is fundamental to what we must achieve,' he said. 'In ensuring that it is fit for purpose, I say today that everything's on the table, including bureaucratic reform of the Department of Defence, of the Australian Defence Force and of defence agencies.' The cutting of senior defence positions and department bosses is believed to be achieved through a mixture of attrition and severance packages. A 2023 paper investigating the ADF's hierarchy revealed that Australia's armed forces were one of the most top heavy and bloated militaries in the world, and that accordingly combat readiness had been jeopardised. Internal sources within Defence told The Australian that the department was looking at shrinking at least 10 per cent of the ADF's star-ranked corps, and that larger cuts were being discussed for top department executives. The sources reiterated the move was aimed at consolidating the chain of command and modernising the ADF's functionality compared with other regional and international militaries. Mr Marles has apparently become irate with his department's ability to transform the ADF into a more modern, integrated and potent force that is capable of projecting power over long distances. The growing rift between the Defence Minister and the ADF was exposed when it was revealed the Albanese government had failed to receive formal military readiness reports from the Department of Defence for more than two years according to a report from the Auditor General. The Albanese government continues to resist calls to boost the defence budget from 2 to 3.5 per cent and is grappling with intensifying delays on defence projects with Defence Force chief David Johnson stating in early June that the department was 'fully expending' its budget.
Sky News AU
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Deputy PM refuses to say if Chinese warships targeted Australian cities
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has refused to say if Chinese warships were 'targeting our cities' when they carried out exercises off Australia's vast coast earlier this year. The Australian Defence Force revealed in February it was tracking two People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) frigates and a replenishment vessel in the Coral Sea, off Queensland. They passed within 150 nautical miles (278km) east of Sydney as they moved south and conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea without notifying Canberra or air traffic controllers. The Albanese government has kept tight-lipped on what the Chinese flotilla's mission was, even amid fears AUKUS could be on the rocks, Australia trailing its allies in defence spending and warnings Beijing poses an 'imminent' threat to the region. Mr Marles, who is also defence minister, on Monday told News Corp's Defending Australia Summit the Chinese live-fire drills was 'very much not diplomacy or defensive diplomacy'. 'None of that provides strategic reassurance,' he said. Asked point blank if they were rehearsing strikes on Australian cities or onshore facilities, Mr Marles said he did know but would not confirm or deny. 'Look, I do know the answer to the question,' he said. 'I don't think it's appropriate or helpful for me in this situation to speculate about it for a range of reasons … and the most significant being what we did with the Chinese task group was to engage in an unprecedented level of surveillance on that task group. 'So we do know exactly what they were doing and exactly what they're rehearsing. 'For me to start talking about that obviously reveals our surveillance capabilities, which is why I'm reluctant to.' Mr Marles added the Chinese ships were 'very clear about what they were doing'. 'Perhaps I would say that I think I don't think there are any capabilities that were put on display there which are particular surprise,' he said. 'And we were also, as I say – being able to surveil that task group in the manner which we did also sends an important statement.' 'Great power contest' The Trump administration has been calling on Canberra to dramatically boost military spending amid concerns China could make a move on the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan by 2027. Aside from torching the decades-long status quo, a Chinese move on Taiwan would deal a major blow to the global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month told Mr Marles that Australia's defence budget 'should' be 3.5 per cent of GDP 'as soon as possible' during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore. In a read out, the US Embassy said the two senior officials 'discussed aligning investment to the security environment in the Indo-Pacific, accelerating US force posture initiatives in Australia, advancing defence industrial base co-operation, and creating supply chain resilience'. Mr Hegseth also used his address at the conference to warn that Beijing posed an 'imminent' threat to the Indo-Pacific. 'Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Mr Hegseth said. 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.' While the Albanese government has pushed back on boosting the ADF's budget, Mr Marles acknowledged at the Defending Australia Summit that China's military build-up was the 'most significant … that we have seen since the end of the Second World War'. 'And it shapes the region in which we live, and it means that Australia's geography today is more relevant to great power contest than it has been at any point since the end of the Second World War, arguably at any point in our history,' he said. 'In terms of our own defence capability needs, our risk is not so much the invasion of the continent. 'We are fortunate that we are an island nation surrounded by oceans, but on the other hand, we are deeply reliant on our sea lines of communication. 'The supply of the country – almost all of our liquid fuels are imported by sea but also through export revenues.' Mr Marles said Australia getting cut off from the world was 'our strategic risk'. 'It's the disruption of those sea lines,' he said. 'It's the coercion that could result because of the disruption of such sea routes. 'It is that, and the stability of the region in which we live. 'Because the defence of Australia is intimately connected with the peace and stability of the Pacific, the peace and stability of Southeast Asia, of Northeast Asia, of the Northeast Indian Ocean.' Originally published as Deputy PM refuses to say if Chinese warships targeted Australian cities
Perth Now
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
China warships question Labor won't answer
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has refused to say if Chinese warships were 'targeting our cities' when they carried out exercises off Australia's vast coast earlier this year. The Australian Defence Force revealed in February it was tracking two People's Liberation Army-navy (PLA-N) frigates and a replenishment vessel in the Coral Sea, off Queensland. They passed within 150 nautical miles (278km) east of Sydney as they moved south and conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea without notifying Canberra or air traffic controllers. The Albanese government has kept tight-lipped on what the Chinese flotilla's mission was, even amid fears AUKUS could be on the rocks, Australia trailing its allies in defence spending and warnings Beijing poses an 'imminent' threat to the region. Three Chinese warships carried out live drills off Australia's east coast. Australian Defence Force Credit: Supplied Mr Marles, who is also defence minister, on Monday told News Corp's Defending Australia Summit the Chinese live-fire drills was 'very much not diplomacy or defensive diplomacy'. 'None of that provides strategic reassurance,' he said. Asked point blank if they were rehearsing strikes on Australian cities or onshore facilities, Mr Marles said he did know but would not confirm or deny. 'Look, I do know the answer to the question,' he said. 'I don't think it's appropriate or helpful for me in this situation to speculate about it for a range of reasons … and the most significant being what we did with the Chinese task group was to engage in an unprecedented level of surveillance on that task group. 'So we do know exactly what they were doing and exactly what they're rehearsing. 'For me to start talking about that obviously reveals our surveillance capabilities, which is why I'm reluctant to.' Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he knows whether Chinese warships were targeting Australian cities when they carried out exercises earlier this year. Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Marles added the Chinese ships were 'very clear about what they were doing'. 'Perhaps I would say that I think I don't think there are any capabilities that were put on display there which are particular surprise,' he said. 'And we were also, as I say – being able to surveil that task group in the manner which we did also sends an important statement.' More to come.
