Natalie Barr demands answers about the threats Australia faces as Albanese government boosts defence spending by $50billion

Pressure is mounting on the Albanian government to justify a $50 billion funding increase for the defense force over the next decade.

Defense Secretary Richard Marles on Wednesday unveiled the new National Defense Strategy and Investment Program, which includes naval upgrades.

The spending increase will raise a further $5.7 billion over the next four years and increase defense financing to 2.4 percent of GDP by 2033/2034.

It will be the largest growth in military spending since 1949, despite massive borrowing and spending that has led to runaway inflation and subsequent interest rate increases.

During an interview with Mr. Marles on Sunrise, host Natalie Barr asked, “Who else are we protecting ourselves from besides China?”

“In our region, we are witnessing the largest conventional military buildup since World War II, and that is China; that is an inescapable fact.’

Mr Marles said the spending was needed in a region that is “less secure” because China claims territories, and trade routes need to be protected because of that expansionism.

Barr said others have argued that this spending should have happened sooner.

“A former top bureaucrat wrote a defense paper 15 years ago and actually sounds like he’s furious that no one listened to him. That was in 2009,” she said.

‘He said, ‘Both sides of politics need to be judged harshly here because no one was listening.’

‘Do you accept that? He says we have to start all over again here?’

Mr Marles blamed the previous government, including the failed French submarine contract.

“When we came to power, there was no doubt that we faced an enormous number of challenges,” he said.

‘TThe best time to take action on this would have been 10 years ago, but the second best time to take action is now, and that’s what we’re doing.”

China has rejected the government’s plans and urged Australia to abandon its “Cold War mentality.”

“We hope Australia will correctly view China’s development and strategic intentions, abandon the Cold War mentality, do more things to keep the region peaceful and stable, and stop whining about China,” spokesman Lin said Jian of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Security risks in the Indo-Pacific came from “major countries” outside the region, Mr. Lin said.

“They have formed exclusive factions, fomented bloc confrontations and, above all, muddied the waters in the South China Sea, as if the world needed more instability. China is firmly against it,” he said.

Defending the initiative, Mr Marles said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Australia was trying to match the strength of China and the US in the Indo-Pacific.

“You’re talking about great powers and it’s clear that we’re not trying to be a competitor of the United States or China. That’s why…commentators who went that route are, quite frankly, lacking in sense,” he said.

The defense strategy involves an attempt to increase eligibility for recruitment non-citizens, but Mr Marles said this “wouldn’t happen overnight”.

“It’s reasonable to describe that in terms of years,” he told ABC’s Radio Nationaal on Thursday.

“Considering certain classes of non-Australian citizens as potential recruits for the ADF in the future is an important step we will need to take if we are to meet the challenge of growing our defense force to 2040.”

Mr Marles said the Government’s immediate challenge is to improve conditions for Australians currently serving or considering joining the ADF.

“Trying to streamline recruitment to make it a better offering for Australians is what we’re doing now and that’s actually having an impact,” he said.

The Defense Secretary said there had been a decline in the number of personnel leaving the military and recruitment numbers were starting to turn around.

Speaking to the National Press Club, Mr Marles said the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who call Australia home were an obvious place to start.