11 July 2017

News Story: Australia to Speed Missile Defense Development, Turnbull Says

PM Malcolm Turnbull
(Image: Wiki Commons)
By Jason Gale

  • U.S. missile shield system isn’t suitable for Australia: PM
  • Turbull calls on China to rein in North Korea’s nuclear plans

Australia will press ahead with a missile defense prograeam to protect its forces, but a U.S. shield system isn’t appropriate, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system mentioned in recent briefings is “not really suitable for our situation,” Turnbull told reporters at the Group of 20 Summit on Friday. The meeting in Hamburg has been overshadowed by North Korea’s first successful launch last week of a missile capable of reaching at least part of the U.S.

“The answer in respect of North Korea is the de-nuclearization of North Korea and for it to stop its reckless conduct, its reckless and provocative conduct,” Turnbull said. “The nation with overwhelmingly the greatest leverage over North Korea is China. And so we look to China to bring North Korea to its senses.”

Read the full story at Bloomberg