Australia – Page 3 – The Defense Post

Apr- 2026 -

14 April

Australia to Spend Billions on Drones as Warfare Changes

Australia will boost spending on drones by up to $3.6 billion in response to shifts in warfare seen in the Middle East, Defence Minister Richard Marles said.

7 April

Asia Pacific

Christine Casimiro

Australian Army Expands First-Person View Drone Training

The Australian Army has expanded its training pipeline as it works to integrate first-person view attack drones more broadly across the force.

1 April

Air

Artwork showing an F-22 Raptor with new pods, external fuel tanks, and an unknown air-to-air missile, potentially the AIM-260

Inder Singh Bisht

US Approves $3.16-Billion Sale of Classified AIM-260 Missiles to Australia

The US Congress has approved an estimated $3.16-billion sale of up to 450 AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles to Australia.

1 April

Middle East

Staff Writer With AFP

Australian Leader to Address Nation on Middle East War

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will make a rare address to the nation across television and radio networks on Wednesday, outlining Canberra's response to the Middle East conflict.

Mar- 2026 -

30 March

Asia Pacific

Australian Army officer Major Patrick Hoare from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, radios information during an urban clearance of the Situm primary school as part of Exercise Wantok Warrior 25 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 18 October 2025. *** Local Caption *** Exercise Wantok Warrior is an annual training exercise held between the Australian Army and Papua New Guinea Defence Force in PNG. In 2025, around 300 soldiers conducted the exercise in Lae, completing infantry focused scenarios which include air-mobile and amphibious serials to enhance their skills and interoperability in a complex tactical setting. Exercise Wantok Warrior is a longstanding exercise and continues to build shared understanding, professionalism, and deepen the military relationship between both nations.

Rojoef Manuel

L3Harris, RFTEQ to Support Next-Gen EW Solutions in Australia

L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance electronic warfare capabilities for the Australian Defence Organisation.

30 March

Asia Pacific

DroneSentry-C2 incorporating the ADS-B flight tracking feature.

Giulia Bernacchi

Australian Firm DroneShield Opens European Counter-Drone Hub in Amsterdam

Australian firm DroneShield has opened a new European headquarters for counter-drone systems in the Netherlands.

24 March

Americas

Christine Casimiro

Lockheed, Rheinmetall Eye Australia-Based HIMARS Sustainment

The Australian subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall are exploring in-country sustainment for Australia’s HIMARS.

23 March

Asia Pacific

Australian Army personnel participate in Exercise Cyber Sentinel, held in Canberra, ACT. Imagery has been digital altered for security purposes. *** Local Caption *** Exercise Cyber Sentinels is an annual cyber exercise which was held 2 13 October 2023 in Canberra, ACT. This was the first time this exercise was planned and held at the secret/Five Eyes level in Australia by the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with previous exercises held by our global partners at a lower classification level. The ADF worked closely with United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in the planning of this exercise which is part of the global effort sharing of partner cyber readiness. Over 60 US Cyber Command personnel participated alongside over 90 ADF members. The participants were joined by a number of observers from Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The exercise comprised five blue force teams consisting of three Australian teams from the Australian Armys 138 Signals Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force 462 Squadron and Royal Australian Navy Fleet Cyber Unit, and two teams from the United States. Exercise Cyber Sentinels supports the training and development continuum of cyber units by honing individual and collective cyber-based skills. Additionally, the networking and learning opportunities from other nations are benefitting the ADF to further develop in the Cyber Domain and supporting reciprocal training opportunities in the future.

Giulia Bernacchi

Nearly Half of Australians Think Foreign Military Attack Possible Within Five Years

A poll by the Australian National University highlighted growing concern among Australians over a potential foreign military threat.

23 March

Americas

Artist's impression of the AUKUS submarine

Christine Casimiro

US OKs $1B AUKUS Submarine Systems, Tech Support Sale to UK

The US State Department has cleared a $1-billion potential foreign military sale of submarine systems and related support for the UK as part of the AUKUS security partnership.

19 March

Asia Pacific