Australia’s strategic community is intensifying debate about national security as senior analysts and defence voices warn that China’s growing military capabilities and regional ambitions demand a robust response to safeguard Australian sovereignty.

A commentary by a senior fellow at a major think-tank highlighted what he described as China’s unprecedented peacetime military expansion, its rapid civil-military fusion policies and a pattern of assertive strategic behaviour that, if left unchecked, could pose a long-term challenge to Australia’s security environment.

This view comes amid broader forecasts of an evolving Indo-Pacific security landscape in which China’s defence spending has outpaced that of neighbouring states and its naval and air forces are increasingly capable of extended operations far from home waters.

Experts point to a range of indicators underscoring China’s investment in military capability, including sustained increases in defence budgets, significant naval deployments and joint army, air and rocket force field exercises in East and Southeast Asia.

While China has not publicly declared an intention to initiate conflict, analysts describe its actions — from live-fire naval drills near Australia’s exclusive economic zone to broad force modernisation efforts — as measures that could enable coercive behaviour in the region if geopolitical tensions escalate.

Canberra’s defence leadership has previously acknowledged the scale of China’s build-up, noting it represents the largest conventional force expansion since the end of the Second World War and is reshaping regional dynamics.

In response to these developments, calls have grown for Australia to strengthen its defence posture, ensure deterrent capabilities and deepen cooperation with key allies.

These include bolstering naval and aerial assets, investing in long-range strike systems and aligning more closely with partners such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan under frameworks like AUKUS.

Strategic commentators emphasise that greater preparedness and interoperability with allies will be vital to deterring potential threats and maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Debate over the pace and scale of Australia’s defence reform continues among policymakers and security experts, reflecting wider concerns about how best to protect national interests without escalating tensions in an already contested region.