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Graphic shows details of base upgrades.
GN41294EN

MILITARY

Australia to upgrade military bases, expand war games with U.S.

April 28, 2021 - Australia will invest A$747 million ($580 million) to upgrade four northern military bases and expand joint exercises with the United States, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes amid an increasingly bitter diplomatic and trade spat with China, and a rise in regional tensions over Taiwan, according to Reuters.

Morrison said an airstrip in the Northern Territory will be lengthened to support larger aircraft, firing ranges overhauled and new training facilities set up for defence personnel and U.S. marines.

The military upgrades will begin this year and be finished by 2026.

The funds are part of an Australia defence plan that will see Canberra spend $270 billion in the next decade to improve long-range strike capabilities, Reuters said.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/04/2021; STORY: Graphic News
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