Rapid Fire May 3, 2013 – Australia’s Defence White Paper: Love Me Fund Me Eventually

• Australia released its 2013 defence white paper [PDF] earlier today. The last one dates from 2009, and the government said it would publish updates at most 5 years apart because of the fast-changing environment in the Asia/Pacific region. They acknowledge the China-USA relationship as the biggest factor affecting their strategic environment, and see the Pacific and Indian oceans as merging into a single “strategic arc,” among other reasons because of how sea trade flows have evolved.