Australia will purchase more than two hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles from the US, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government has announced. The said purchase contributes to the country’s attempts to counter China’s rise in military power in the region.

The $830 million order means Australia’s Armed Forces will become one of the strongest and most technologically advanced in the world, Defence Industry Minister, Pat Conroy, said.

Australia is rapidly acquiring new military capabilities, selecting systems capable of long-range strikes against potential adversaries such as China.

Entering the so-called missile age, they are essential tools for the Australian Armed Forces to be able to fulfill their mission of defending Australians, Mr. Conroy added.

The Tomahawk missiles, with an effective range of more than a thousand kilometers, will be carried by the Australian Navy’s Hobart-class destroyers. They are also intended to be used by the nuclear-powered submarines that Australia is to acquire as part of the AUKUS military alliance concluded by Canberra, London, and Washington.

In January, Australia also accepted a US offer to supply the HIMARS weapon system, which is also used by the Ukrainian military.

Washington recently announced it would help Australia build its own missile manufacturing industry to boost supply chains strained by the war in Ukraine.

Australia is currently buying those weapons to gain capabilities quickly, Mr. Conroy said, but it is also considering options to build the missiles on its national territory, as it is important for the country to strengthen its defence industry.

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