The Royal Australian Air Force commitment on April 23,2014, to acquire 58 additional Lockheed Mar-tin/BAE F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) - bringing the total Australian order to 72 - now seems certain to significantly cause an imbalance in the country's defense spending in the coming two decades. Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the additional purchase, valued at A$12.4-billion ($11.61-billion), at a time when his own Government has also pledged to begin reducing government spending and debt, which had climbed to unprecedented levels under the outgoing Gillard and Rudd Labor governments. Mr Abbott had told Par-Iiament on March 27,2014, that "tough decisions" were coming. These should show in the May 15, 2014, budqet.
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