Australia's military

The United States announced a new alliance on Sept. 16 with Australia and Britain to strengthen military capabilities in the face of a rising China, with Canberra to get a nuclear submarine fleet and American cruise missiles.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on July 18 Australia's domestic security bodies, including the police and the national spy agency, will be centralized under a single minister as Canberra tackles the rising threat of "lone wolf" attacks.

Australia's military yesterday said it was temporarily halting air missions over Syria, following the shooting down of a Syrian jet by United States forces.

The decision came amid increasing tension between the U.S. and Russia, which warned it would track coalition aircraft in Syria as potential "targets", and halted a military hotline with Washington over the incident.