The government has made a six-fold increase in funding for a squadron of Northrop Grumman Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which would patrol Australia's borders, territorial waters and could be used further afield.

"The success of the aircraft such as Global Hawk in operations over both Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the huge capacity bosst these assets can bring," Defence Minister Robert Hill said in unveiling the government's 50 billion dollar Defence Capability Plan for the next 10 years.

"The Global Hawk provides the air force and battlespace commanders with near real-time, high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery."

Hill said the defence plan, the culmination of a 12-month review of the army, navy and airforce, would also see ageing tanks, frigates and fighters replaced by state-of-the-art hardware.

He said an unprecedented level of recent deployments by Australian forces, including participation in the "coalition of the willing" in Iraq, demonstrated that Australian forces were not equipped to face "new challenges".

"These include the threat of terrorism, concerns associated with the proliferation of weapons on mass destruction and the risk of failed states within our region," Hill said.

"The global situation has also brought our responsibilities, as an alliance partner of the United States, into sharper focus."

Australia was one of the staunchest allies of the US in its war against Iraq, sending more than 2,000 troops and personnel to the Gulf.

Australian military chief Major General Peter Cosgrove welcomed the government's decision to commit more funds to bring Australia's forces up to world standards.

He said the level of technology such as that used in the Global Hawk was being added to the military of other countries and Australia should not risk being left behind.

"Fifty billion dollars is the price we must pay to modernise against an uncertain future," Cosgrove told reporters.

"Terrorism has to be the number one threat because it reveals itself very grudgingly, if at all, and with great violence when it does."

WAR.WIRE