Australia said it’s planning to buy up to 220 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States after the U.S. State Department approved the sale Friday. The deal comes days after Australia announced it would buy nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S. to modernize its fleet amid growing concern about China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. Australian officials said the nuclear-powered submarines would be able to fire the Tomahawk missiles. Japan also plans to buy Tomahawks as part of a plan to upgrade its military to deter China. Some have questioned the expense of Australia's purchases, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ability to upgrade the nation's defense made the submarine deal valuable.
