Australia to boost missile stockpiles, citing US-China rivalry

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said in a speech on Wednesday that Australia was boosting its missile defence and long-range strike capability.

“Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia’s security environment,” he told the National Press Club in Canberra.

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China tests ICBM capable of reaching US mainland with launch into Pacific Ocean

Conroy did not mention the Chinese test in his speech, but said the Indo-Pacific was on the cusp of a new missile age, where missiles are also “tools of coercion”.