‘It’s not true’: Assistant Defence Minister rebukes ASPI report on military capabilities

Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite has rebuked a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute which says Australia’s military capability won't improve for at least a decade. Labor’s defence plans won’t improve Australia’s military capability for at least a decade, according to a report. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says the country would only have access to its current force if a war were to break out in the next 10 years. “It’s simply not true this claim,” Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News Australia. “If you look at the recent announcement of our national defence strategy, what we’re doing is, over the course of the next four years, we’re investing an additional $5.7 billion. “These claims are simply not true – we’ve got a lot of capability that comes online in the next four years because the government’s making those investments.”