New Defence white paper on the way THE long-awaited Defence White Paper will spell out a fresh vision for Australia's defence and its response to China's rising military power in the Asia-Pacific region. But analysts say the big issue will be funding and how much defence can expect at a time of severe federal fiscal constraint. The 2013 Defence White Paper, due on Friday, succeeds the last paper launched four years ago by then prime minister Kevin Rudd. His paper carried an extensive shopping list, including 12 new submarines, aircraft and warships and an ambitious funding plan before colliding with the downturn prompted by the global financial crisis. The new White Paper is tipped to tone down some of the more controversial judgments in the 2009 document, including a warning on China's growing military power. It's also expected to adopt more achievable funding plans, after an earlier, and unrealised, promise of three per cent real growth in defence budget spending out to 2017-18. The 2013 paper should also update defence policy in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and East Timor and a strategic shift toward the Asia-Pacific region. This will be based on Labor's over-arching National Security Strategy released in January, which pointed to the requirements post the 9/11 environment. These included fighting cyber threats and creating better partnerships with other national and international security agencies. But the key focus of the white paper will be new equipment and funding. Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence budget analyst Dr Mark Thomson said the amount of money needed would depend on national aspirations. "Hopefully the White Paper will provide a clear vision for explaining to us why we need a defence force, what it's got to do, what it's going to look like and then provide adequate funding for it," he said. Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James noted the updated White Paper was being released a year earlier than expected and could be quickly superceded if the coalition won government later this year.