Jimmy Recard
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- Jun 11, 2010
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- 2007
FIGHTER aircraft and warships could be sited in the remote north and west of the country to protect resource-rich areas off the coast, as the result of a review ordered by the federal government.
The review is the first in decades, and is intended to assess whether Australia needs to reposition its war-fighting capability to counter emerging threats in the region, such as China.
It is likely to lead to a greater military presence in northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and far north Queensland, but could lead to base closures or reductions in the southern states, and the establishment of joint Australian-US facilities.
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Ready for action ... an air warfare destroyer.
The review - by the former Defence Department secretaries Allan Hawke and Ric Smith - will also examine where to station cutting-edge new military technology, including air warfare destroyers, landing helicopter docks and joint strike fighters.
It reflects the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region and Indian Ocean rim, the increasing military strength of some countries, the growing need to provide humanitarian relief in the area and the expansion of resource exploration in the seas to Australia's north and west.
''As circumstances change, our posture needs to change,'' the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, said yesterday. ''Off the coast of the north-west of Western Australia and off the coast of the Northern Territory, we are now seeing a significant petroleum resources energy belt.
''So into the future, considerations arise which go not just to the physical security of a growing resources industry infrastructure but also the general question of energy and energy security.''
The review is an extension of the 2009 defence white paper, which focused on protection of northern approaches by sea and air. It will also consider the ''potential strategic and security role'' of the Cocos and Christmas islands, and whether bases in the south, such as the Garden Island navy base in Sydney, should be shrunk in favour of new facilities in the north. Consolidation of Defence facilities is already the subject of a review.
Peter Leahy, the former army chief of staff who heads the national security institute at the University of Canberra, said yesterday that the cutting of bases in the southern states was a necessary step, but acknowledged it could cause tensions.
''I think the minister needs to be careful; he might not like what he gets from the review,'' he said. ''For the navy, they've really only got patrol boats in the north, and otherwise they remain wedded to the south, half the fleet in Sydney and the other half in Perth. This will put pressure on navy's presence in Sydney Harbour.
''Defence has plans to close these inefficient bases. They're presented to new governments as they come into power and nothing happens because they squib it.''
The review is being undertaken in tandem with a US assessment of how its forces are based around the world.
In Australia late last year, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, reaffirmed America's commitment to the region, which was widely seen as a warning on Chinese muscle-flexing. Mr Gates also floated the idea of ''enhanced joint activities'' with Australia.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/defe...orth-riches-20110622-1gfjf.html#ixzz1QXIZKtz3
The review is the first in decades, and is intended to assess whether Australia needs to reposition its war-fighting capability to counter emerging threats in the region, such as China.
It is likely to lead to a greater military presence in northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory and far north Queensland, but could lead to base closures or reductions in the southern states, and the establishment of joint Australian-US facilities.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The review - by the former Defence Department secretaries Allan Hawke and Ric Smith - will also examine where to station cutting-edge new military technology, including air warfare destroyers, landing helicopter docks and joint strike fighters.
It reflects the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region and Indian Ocean rim, the increasing military strength of some countries, the growing need to provide humanitarian relief in the area and the expansion of resource exploration in the seas to Australia's north and west.
''As circumstances change, our posture needs to change,'' the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, said yesterday. ''Off the coast of the north-west of Western Australia and off the coast of the Northern Territory, we are now seeing a significant petroleum resources energy belt.
''So into the future, considerations arise which go not just to the physical security of a growing resources industry infrastructure but also the general question of energy and energy security.''
The review is an extension of the 2009 defence white paper, which focused on protection of northern approaches by sea and air. It will also consider the ''potential strategic and security role'' of the Cocos and Christmas islands, and whether bases in the south, such as the Garden Island navy base in Sydney, should be shrunk in favour of new facilities in the north. Consolidation of Defence facilities is already the subject of a review.
Peter Leahy, the former army chief of staff who heads the national security institute at the University of Canberra, said yesterday that the cutting of bases in the southern states was a necessary step, but acknowledged it could cause tensions.
''I think the minister needs to be careful; he might not like what he gets from the review,'' he said. ''For the navy, they've really only got patrol boats in the north, and otherwise they remain wedded to the south, half the fleet in Sydney and the other half in Perth. This will put pressure on navy's presence in Sydney Harbour.
''Defence has plans to close these inefficient bases. They're presented to new governments as they come into power and nothing happens because they squib it.''
The review is being undertaken in tandem with a US assessment of how its forces are based around the world.
In Australia late last year, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, reaffirmed America's commitment to the region, which was widely seen as a warning on Chinese muscle-flexing. Mr Gates also floated the idea of ''enhanced joint activities'' with Australia.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/defe...orth-riches-20110622-1gfjf.html#ixzz1QXIZKtz3
