The arming of Australian fighter jets and naval ships will be accelerated with new long-range strike weapons under a recently announced AU$3.5 billion (US$2.64 billion) plan. The federal government on April 5 released details of the plan which will see Australian defence forces armed with missiles that can strike targets from 900 kilometres away. “The world has been shocked with what we’ve seen in Europe and in the Ukraine and we hope and pray that doesn’t spread to other countries,” Defence Minister Peter Dutton told the Seven Network. “But we’re also very worried about what’s happening in the Indo-Pacific, and this is about Australia being prepared and making sure that we can stare down any act of bullying against our country.” The Australian government is contending with a freshly minted agreement between Beijing and the Solomon Islands’ government that will open the door for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to …