Australia enters largest-ever defense deal with Germany

Australia has entered its largest single defense export deal to date of over 1 billion Australian dollars ($664.5 million) with Germany to supply armored vehicles, said the country's prime minister on Thursday.

In a joint statement with Defense Minister Richard Marles, Anthony Albanese said that under the deal, Australia will supply 100 Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles "built by Rheinmetall at its Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland … for use by the German Army."

Last year, the two countries signed the agreement during Albanese's visit to Berlin, and now the German parliament has approved it.

Last month, Australia also announced it was building the biggest navy since World War II while spending over $7 billion to double the size of its fleets of major warships and modernize its navy.

In 2021, Australia, the U.S., and UK announced the formation of AUKUS, a trilateral security treaty for the Indo-Pacific region. It is primarily intended for China, which has been more assertive in the region.

Last March, former Prime Minister Paul Keating slammed Albanese's government over the AUKUS deal, claiming it was meant to have the U.S. supply nuclear submarines for joint operations against China.