Australia has announced a major boost in spending on autonomous systems, including drones, as part of a broader overhaul of its defence strategy in response to evolving warfare dynamics in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government will allocate between Au$12 billion and Au$15 billion over the next decade to expand the nation’s autonomous capabilities. Up to Au$5 billion of that will be directed specifically towards drones and counter-drone technologies, reflecting lessons learned from recent conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, where mass-produced, low-cost drones have played a decisive role.
Marles highlighted the growing centrality of autonomous systems in modern warfare. “Clearly, autonomous systems now are really central to how contest happens, how war happens,” he said, pointing to the strategic value of both large, long-range platforms and smaller, swarm-capable drones. Australia’s vast coastline and relatively small population have already driven investment in larger unmanned systems such as the Ghost Shark submarine and the Ghost Bat combat aircraft, both designed to operate autonomously alongside traditional forces.
The new spending will broaden the country’s drone arsenal across the spectrumâfrom high-end, long-range systems to cheaper, mass-deployable units. Marles noted that the smaller drones offer the advantage of scale, a tactic already evident in Ukraine, where large numbers of inexpensive drones have been used to overwhelm defences.
The move comes as Australia continues to reshape its military in response to strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific, particularly China’s naval expansion. Alongside its investment in autonomous systems, Australia is deepening defence ties with the United States and Britain through the AUKUS pact, which includes cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines.
The updated defence strategy, to be released this week, is expected to further detail how these autonomous capabilities will be integrated to safeguard Australia’s northern approaches and strengthen its deterrence posture in an increasingly contested region.
