Under 2026 NDS, Australia plans defence investment worth an additional AUD14 billion over the next four years and AUD53 billion over the next decade. (Janes)
Australia has released its 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and Integrated Investment Program (IIP), setting out a major uplift in defence spending aimed at enhancing military capability, strengthening national resilience, and expanding the domestic defence industrial base.
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) announced on 16 April that the government has committed AUD425 billion (USD305 billion) under the 2026 IIP over the next 10 years to modernise the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Australia's inaugural NDS and IIP were launched in 2024 to improve ADF posture and capabilities, integrating military power with broader national resources and resilience. The 2026 iterations of the documents build on this framework and are underpinned by a further increase in defence spending.
According to the DoD, Australia will invest an additional AUD14 billion over the next four years and AUD53 billion over the next decade in defence funding. Combined with commitments made under the 2024 NDS, this brings total additional investment to AUD30 billion over the four-year forward estimate period and AUD117 billion through to 2036.
As a result, defence spending as a proportion of GDP is projected to rise to 3% by 2033, calculated using NATO-style accounting methods, the DoD said.
2026 NDS
The 2026 NDS builds on the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and the 2024 NDS and is framed around what the DoD describes as the “most challenging circumstances since the Second World War”.
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