00:00A long-range strike on a faraway target.
00:09This is the HIMARS missile system, capable of hitting its mark up to 500 kilometres away.
00:15It's a brand new weapon in the Australian arsenal, tested for the first time.
00:20And it's a signal of a major strategic shift, as Defence thinks about how it would defend
00:25Australia's north.
00:26We had thought the sea air gap, the waters to our north, were a great protective buffer.
00:32Well, modern weaponry very quickly traverses that gap now.
00:38It's day one of the talisman-saber war games, with a massive live firing exercise on a range
00:44north of Rockhampton.
00:46This is a highly orchestrated demonstration of just what the ADF is capable of working
00:50alongside its allies.
00:52But the ADF is under pressure to do more.
00:54The US has been open about wanting to see Australia spending billions more each year
00:59on its own defence and contributing to global security.
01:02And with plenty of talk around this event about uncertain strategic times, that pressure is
01:06unlikely to ease.
01:08The government is accepting risk in our most significant strategic circumstances.
01:12And what does that mean if that risk manifests?
01:13That means lives lost.
01:15Public commentary already on what the US is thinking.
01:19Defence is clear that the funding question is a matter for government.
01:23But it's closely watching as threats evolve.
01:25My role is, I need to look at the strategy that's developed, understand the intelligence
01:31as our region changes and make recommendations.
01:34And is making a point of the friends Australia is keeping close.
01:39We recognise we're stronger when we're operating with partners.
01:42A show of force, aiming north.
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