Australia's transition to a fifth generation air force will be a "game changer" for regional stability.
That's the view of Air Force Chief Leo Davies who addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC on Thursday morning, local time.
"We will induct our region into the rules-based global order, whilst we use our fifth generation capabilities to defend it," he said.
"Our Air Force can and should be a strategic technology bridge to our neighbours."
Australia is buying 72 Joint Strike Fighters, our dearest aircraft purchase ever at $17 billion.
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The fifth-generation fighters will replace the ageing FA-18A/B Classic Hornets, with the first expected to enter service from late 2018.
"JSF also means that, with the US, we are more than friends and allies, we are technology partners," he said.
He said successive Australian governments prioritised earning our place in our region.
"We cannot become complacent and assume that our previous success will secure us," he said.
Air Marshall Davies said Australia's unique relationships with regional neighbours, which the US may not share, gave it unique insights.
"Our relationship with countries like India and Indonesia, to whom you in the US seek greater access, are perhaps a case in point," he said.
"Both countries are emergent powers, emergent economies, as space and cyber rise to prominence in warfare."
