The Defence Minister will fast track a plan to arm Australia’s fighter jets and naval vessels with long-range missiles. 

The $3.5 billion spend will accelerate the timetable to purchase equipment, seeing vessels fitted out by 2024, three years ahead of schedule.

Peter Dutton told Neil Breen the move will help Australia deal with increasing tensions in the region.

“We’re certainly worried, I think the world’s shocked by what we’re seeing in Ukraine,” he said.

“We realise we need to fight for our peace and we need to make sure we have our country in a position of strength to deter any act of aggression.

“There’s an autocrat running Russia and we’re seeing that unfold in Ukraine at the moment and we’ve got an autocrat, frankly, running China at the moment.

“The risk in the Indo-Pacific continues to escalate.”

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