A major escalation in Australia’s missile defence capacity demonstrates the Australian government is concerned about the “ramped up rhetoric we are seeing from China,” Sky News host Peter Gleeson says. More: https://bit.ly/38mlvnC | Sky News Australia

The Australian Defence Force is mourning one of its own. A young Queenslander known as a leader of troops has been killed in a training exercise near Townsville. The rollover, in an army vehicle, has triggered the suspension of a fleet, which was due to be replaced. Download the 7NEWS app: 7news.link/7newsapp | 7NEWS Sunshine Coast

The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) has commenced operations using a new Bell 412 helicopter. Helicopters are critical for the PNGDF to complete training and operational tasks across the diverse and rugged terrain of PNG. This includes humanitarian assistance, such as delivery of 24-ton of essential supplies to Gulf province in late 2025, transportation of PNGDF troops from remote locations, such as Weam and Tabubil to support border protection operations, and swift disaster response. The