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| Collins class Submarine |
The federal government has commissioned a new defence white paper a year ahead of schedule.
In a series of defence announcements ahead of the 2012 budget to be handed down next Tuesday night, the government also outlined key steps towards the acquisition of 12 advanced new submarines to replace the Navy's six ageing Collins subs.
As a contribution towards returning the budget to surplus, the government also cancelled a long-running project to acquire self-propelled howitzers, saving $225 million, and postponed a decision on acquiring the next 12 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, providing a $1.6 billion boost to the budget bottom line.
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The next defence white paper was due in 2014 but Prime Minister Julia Gillard said there had been a number of significant developments both domestically and internationally since the previous white paper in 2009.
Read the full story at the BrisbaneTimes