In one of the most critical arms deals in recent times in the Pacific region, the U.S. State Department has approved the sale of 80 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missiles worth US$235 million to Australia, according to press reports.
Australian Aviation reported this month that the stealthy cruise missiles have a range of 935 kilometers and can be deployed from the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) F-35 Lightning II or F/A-18F Super Hornet fighters, giving Australia coveted long-range strike capabilities. The sale also includes containers and support equipment.
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Defense Connect reports that the U.S. had previously approved a US$94 million sale to Australia of anti-radiation missiles to suppress enemy air defenses (SEAD).
Under this sale, Australia is to receive 15 AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) that target enemy air defense radars to deny the adversary the use of air defense systems.
“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific,” the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.
Although Australia is 7,400 kilometers from China, it still views China as a threat to its democratic values and system. It also views China’s growing military capabilities and the prospect of being drawn into a major U.S.-China conflict in the Pacific as critical threats.
In a 2021 documentary by 60 Minutes Australia, Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), asserted that China’s authoritarian system threatens Australia’s democratic values.
He added that Australia should support democratic movements in Taiwan and make a common cause with the United States to maintain the moral high ground and credibility of democracy as a political system and way of life.
China’s military buildup over the past 40 years may be the fastest development in human history, aimed at ousting the U.S. from the Pacific and then securing global hegemony.
A 2021 study by the Lowy Institute found that China can already attack Australia with long-range bombers and missiles from its bases and that the asymmetry between China’s and Australia’s military capabilities will increase over time.
The 60 Minutes Australia documentary notes that China has developed the capability to attack the U.S. and its allies, including Australia, with space-based weapons, laser weapons, a growing nuclear arsenal, electromagnetic railguns, and hypersonic missiles.
The presence of U.S. military facilities in Australia, particularly in the Northwest Cape and Pine Gap, make Australia a target for long-range Chinese attacks should the United States and China confront each other over the Taiwan issue. In this respect, Canberra’s efforts to upgrade accordingly are understandable.