Australia Sets 3 Percent Target for Defence Spending Amid Pressure From Trump Administration

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia on April 16, 2026. David Gray/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Albanese Labor government will spend an extra AU$14 billion (US$10 billion) on defence over the next four years, a figure that brings its commitment closer in line with expectations from the Trump administration.The 2026 National Defence Strategy, released this week, outlines an additional $53 billion over the next decade—a rate of increase that is more rapid than what was promised in the 2024 version of the same document.