The world is going to hell, yet Australian politicians are in business-as-usual mode - squabbling over defence industry jobs being created in particular electorates - a new report warns.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Mark Thomson says the road ahead is rocky just a year into implementation of the latest defence blueprint.
In a review of the federal budget, Dr Thomson questions whether plans and funding are adequate amid a deteriorating global security outlook.
"In case you've missed it, the world is going to hell," he said.
"Yet we continue as if it's business as usual, squabbling about whether defence industry jobs will be created in one electorate or another."
The 2016 white paper was designed to boost Australia's defence for the perceived challenges of the 2020s and beyond, but those challenges look to be manifesting much earlier than expected.
The plan strengthens Australia's defences slowly, including a new submarine fleet of 12 vessels that won't be finished until the early 2050s.
"We need to do more, and we need to do it now," Dr Thomson said, adding Australia needed an insurance policy.
He argues the quickest and most cost-effective way to strengthen defence would be to extend existing capabilities.
Defence should explore keeping selected existing assets in-service past their planned retirement, and even examine the feasibility of rapidly acquiring new high-value capabilities, such as combat aircraft.
"We currently plan to spend close to $450 million on defence over the next decade. If that is the scale of spending needed to keep us safe in the 21st century, surely we can afford to spend a little more in response to the dark and difficult near future we confront today," Dr Thomson said.
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