$2.4bn more for missile shield

Thursday 10 September 2026

Ben Packham

The Australian

 The Albanese government has committed a further $2.4bn towards a missile  defence command-and-control system that its own Defence Strategic Review  warned three years ago was "unaffordable" and would not deliver a  capability soon enough.
 
 The move on Wednesday came amid Defence's ongoing refusal to say whether the  US has delayed or reduced missile deliveries to Australia as the Trump  administration scrambles to replenish weapons stocks depleted by its war on  Iran.
 
 Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the investment in the joint air  battle management system, Air 6500, but was silent on when Australia's bases  would be protected from incoming ballistic missiles.
 
 The project, which has been running for six years, has been dubbed the  "brains" of a future system that will require groundbased launchers  and large numbers of interceptor missiles that are yet to be ordered. It is  on Defence's "Project of Interest" watchlist, triggering heightened  scrutiny over its rollout, and was heavily criticised in the DSR.
 
 "The program is not structured to deliver a minimum viable capability in  the shortest period of time but is pursuing a long-term near perfect solution  at an unaffordable cost. In-service, off-the-shelf options must be  explored," the review said.
 
 The Australian National Audit Office also warned the project, which is being  delivered by US defence giant Lockheed Martin and the governmentowned CEA  Technologies, was running years behind schedule.
 
 Mr Marles said the funding, on top of an earlier $3.5bn, was part of a wider  $30bn investment in air and missile defences that would enable the ADF  "to detect, track and respond to threats in an increasingly complex  strategic environment".
 
 Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said without urgent investment in  medium and long-range interceptor missiles, "they won't have the ability  to shoot anything down".
 
 "The Albanese government is once again engaging in performative  procurement, boasting about capabilities that are years away while refusing  to answer questions about our current serious challenges," he said.
 
 "They should be honest with Australians about how dire the situation is  right now with guided weapons supply and integrated air and missile defence,  the risks Australia faces, what the government is doing to mitigate those  risks, and the timelines involved."