Centre for Defence Industry Capability will be based in Adelaide, Malcolm Turnbull to announce

Adelaide will today be announced as home to the new multimillion-dollar headquarters for Australia’s defence capability.

The Centre for Defence Industry Capability is due to start operations in the second half of the year as part of the 2016 Defence White Paper, unveiled last month.

It will receive $230 million in funding from the Federal Government — allocated from existing programs — over the next decade.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will today travel to South Australia for the announcement, where he will argue that the state is a key player in the country’s Defence program.

A statement issued by Mr Turnbull and Industry Minister Christopher Pyne described South Australia as being “at the forefront of the Turnbull Government’s plan to renew Australia’s naval fleet”.

“An innovative and competitive Australian Defence industry is critical to support the delivery of major capability projects, including the Future Frigates and Future Submarines,” it stated.

Ship building forms a significant part of the White Paper, which promises 12 submarines to be built at a cost of more than $50 billion between 2018 and 2057.

However, maintenance costs will push that $50 billion budget much higher.

Navy will scoop a quarter of all new spending on capability, with nine new anti-submarine warfare frigates and 12 offshore patrol vessels.