Australia's Defence Strategic Review, which calls for the country to increase its missile capabilities, indicates a shift away from peacekeeping, army veteran James Brown has told Q+A.
Former defence minister Stephen Smith and former defence chief Sir Angus Houston were tasked with the review, which was published on Monday, and determined modern warfare had "radically reduced” Australia's geographic benefits and the nation's regional advantage.
More than any other service, the army will undergo major changes and be re-equipped to operate missile technology, which is expected to increase in range out to several hundreds of kilometres.
"The language is unequivocal," Mr Brown said.
"What we've seen today in the Defence Strategic Review will move us away from global peacekeeping.
"We're preparing for the chance that China might go to war against the US and its allies, and the impact that might have on our economic connection to the world and our freedom and values.
"The line that jumped out for me was we believe the risk of nuclear escalation in our region is real.
"This is not a 10-year-away problem or a five-year-away problem, this is a three-year-away problem, that today we have to be thinking about."
Asked by Q+A host Stan Grant if the review was an admission Australia is playing catch-up in a world where China is building its military capacity, Mr Ayres said the review painted a picture of what is required.
"The report paints a very stark picture of what is required from the government to ensure that we've got a defence force that is fit for purpose," he said.
"The government's approach to these set of questions is there is a requirement for marked change in terms of our defence settings."
Mr Ayres then added that he believed diplomacy was also key.
"We've got to deal with defence policy … [and] engage in the region … in a more thorough and careful and consistent way.
"And we have to engage our domestic policy settings as well."
Asked if the threat of China was being over-hyped, as China suggests, Trade and Manufacturing Minister Tim Ayres said China was not the only focus — but admitted China's military build-up was driving decision-making.
"We [are seeing] the biggest military build-up in the region's history since the Second World War, without the kind of reassurance and transparency about strategic intent we would expect to see," he added.
"In terms of our defence settings, we have to make sure we've got the deterrent capability that Australia needs."
Manager of opposition business Paul Fletcher said it was vital for defence spending to be kept at a higher level after it dropped under the Rudd and Gillard governments, and that Australia should do so to "contribute to a stable and secure Indo-Pacific".
Editor’s note (25/04/2023): During this episode of Q+A, a questioner incorrectly referred to himself as a Vietnam veteran. His description of an incident that was detailed during the program was inaccurate. This article has been updated to reflect this.
