Australia will spend more than $1bn on new naval missiles and acquiring a US rocket artillery system used by the Ukrainian military.

The defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, said the acquisition of 20 high mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars) including launchers, missiles and training rockets, from the US defence contractor Lockheed Martin was the “largest expansion of army strike capability in living memory”, reflecting the need to deter threats in a time of “strategic uncertainty”.

Why does Australia and so many other countries spend so little on defense and then expect the US to step in to protect them if an issue arises? Step up to the plate and protect your people. Trump had a very good point when he said too many countries aren't carrying their weigh when it comes to defense spending.