Experts weigh Australia's role in regional security

In response, Abe Lin (林勤經), director of Department of Strategic Planning at the Ministry of National Defense, said that the government had significantly reduced personnel expenditures in next year's budget in order to boost purchases and investment spending in the defense budget.

"While we are still downsizing our defense forces, the increased 2007 defense expenditures will not be put toward personnel but rather on investment [to upgrade military technology]. This explains [how] we are capable of investing in new armaments and [making] new purchases," Lin said.