Warning of 'uncertain region' as Adelaide missile factory announced

South Australians will benefit from hundreds of new jobs as a defence project prepares to open in Adelaide's Mawson Lakes.

Construction began on Raytheon's Centre For Joint Integration last March.

Raytheon and Kongsberg's National Advanced Surface To Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) were selected for the federal government's $2.5 billion Short Range Ground Based Air Defence program in 2019.

Speaking on-site today, Premier Steven Marshall said that when open, the centre would provide 300 jobs.

A further 200 people have been employed in the centre's construction.

"Jobs are very crucial, they've probably never been more crucial," he said.

South Australian Senator and former federal Assistant Minister for Defence David Fawcett said the centre would also be contributing to the protection of Australian troops.

"It's indicative of the increasingly uncertain region we currently live in, that the government brought out its 2020 strategic update," he said.

The Morrison Government last month announced a $270 billion defence spend for the next decade.

"You've seen a change in our posture ... we have a much shorter response time for threats in our region," he said.

He said the suite of programs announced by the government would mean that Australia could "deter aggression, and where necessary, respond with military force".