The Australian government has announced a major overhaul of its naval defence surface fleet, doubling the number of warships to create Australia’s “biggest navy since the second world war”. The move comes in the wake of an independent review led by a retired U.S. Navy Vice-Admiral, which highlighted that any delay in implementing the plan would “exacerbate the risk” to Australia’s security. The news also comes as Australia and the United States are ramping up joint defence cooperation.
