Australia urged to dramatically boost military might to face 'rising' China challenge

Sydney, Feb 5(ANI): Australia will need nuclear-powered attack submarines among a range of weapons systems to deal with the security dangers posed by China's massive military build-up, one of the government's chief military advisers has said.

Professor Ross Babbage, who served on the government's advisory panel for the 2009 Defence White Paper, believes that Australia should acquire a fleet of 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines.

He has also called for developing a conventionally armed cruise and ballistic missile capability to be carried on new "arsenal ships".

"Australia cannot overlook the way that the scale, pattern and speed of (Chinese) People's Liberation Army's development is altering security in the Western Pacific," the Australian quoted Babbage, as saying in a new paper.

Babbage believes that China's massive military expansion is focused on "striking United States and allied forces in the Western Pacific".

"Australia has to develop an effective response. The challenge posed by the rising PLA is arguably one of the most serious that has confronted Australia's national security planners since World War II," Babbage said.

"China is for the first time close to achieving a military capability to deny United States and allied forces access to much of the Western Pacific rim," he added. (ANI)