Australia has committed to purchasing more than 120 tanks and other armored vehicles from the United States to upgrade its army's fleet of outdated M1A1 in a deal worth $3.5 billion.

The package will include 75 new M1A2 abrams tanks, 29 explosive-clearing assault breached vehicles, 17 assault bridge vehicles, and six armored recovery vehicles.

The vehicles will give Australia's soldiers "the best possibility for success and protection from future harm," Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Monday.

This constitutes a shift from the Australian trend in recent years, where Canberra has been committed to naval and aerial acquisitions, such as submarines and jet fighters, not to mention long-range missiles.

The American tanks will replace Australia's 59 Abrams M1A1s, which Canberra had acquired in 2007, and they have not been in combat, for they have not deployed a tank in combat since the Vietnam War.

"The M1A2 Abrams will incorporate the latest developments in Australian sovereign defense capabilities, including command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence systems, and benefit from the intended manufacture of tank ammunition in Australia," the defense minister added.

He also said their incorporation would take advantage of the pre-existing support infrastructure.

Australia is expected to spend between $30 billion and $42 billion on armored vehicles, which will include a fleet of infantry fighting vehicles.

The agreement has sparked debates over Canberra's military spending and its needs in that field, especially as COVID-19 has re-surged lately and is ravaging the country.

From submarines to tanks

However, some experts are debating whether Australia would even need tanks in case of a conflict, considering that the West is wary of China and has been doing its best to undermine it in the Indo-Pacific region.

The United States and two of its allies, the United Kingdom and Australia, had signed a deal in September, as per which Washington and London would aid Canberra on acquiring nuclear submarine technology.

Therefore, downgrading to tanks from nuclear-powered submarines has raised some questions. Regardless, the first vehicles will be delivered in 2024, and they will be in service in 2025.

AUKUS, the deal between the three western nations, came in a bid to increase western presence in the Indo-Pacific region, or as parties said, to "boost nuclear capabilities and strengthen stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

China saw the alliance as a thinly veiled attempt at undermining its regional presence. The Chinese embassy in the United States commented on the deal, calling on the three nations to "shake off their cold war mentality and ideological prejudice."

Another bid to undermine China

Japan expanded support to US troops on Friday as Tokyo and Washington held top-level talks in light of regional tensions.

US State Secretary Antony Blinken said the two nations were signing a five-year extension of the support package provided by Japan for the hosting of some 50,000 US troops on Japanese soil. 

According to Blinken, the new agreement will "invest greater resources to deepen our military readiness and interoperability."