The panel tests the assumption that Australian yards would be safe rear-area repair bases in a war involving China. Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide are reachable only by scarce long-range bombers or long-range missiles, which increases exposure to interception and limits sortie options. Ballistic missiles create an additional danger because defenders cannot safely assume that a weapon aimed at an allied city or shipyard carries a conventional warhead. Australian distance therefore provides strategic depth, while any attack on those yards carries operational difficulty and serious escalation risk.
Notable Point · 1:05:46-1:08:02
Australian shipyards and strategic depth
Australian repair yards are distant from the Western Pacific fight, but attacking them would create range, interception, and escalation problems.