Australian Polity, Volume 9 Number 3 - Digital Version

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In mid-July I had the privilege of watching a firepowerdemonstration in the north east of our country, justnorth of Brisbane, in Exercise Talisman Sabre. It’s inits ninth iteration and it is our largest military exercisewith the United States, having been conducted acrossthe north of our country biennially since 2005. It wasover 18 days; our forces improved their ability to operateas a joint and combined force. To say it was impressivewas a complete understatement. The coordination,the interoperability and the integration across the land,sea, air, cyber, and space domains really was quiteunbelievable. Our troops moved together as one team,and the comradery between them was clear for all to seeand this to me, is the spirit and the value that embodiesour Alliance.The Australian people have in recent weeks seen thestrength and closeness of the alliance on dramaticdisplay as ADF personnel worked tirelessly with theirUS and British counterparts to carry out the evacuationof Kabul. We got 4,100 people out. We could not haveevacuated one person without the support of the 4,000United States troops on the ground. We are incrediblygrateful for that. Our partnership continues to grow. Ithas gone through two world wars, a cold war, and recentconflicts in the Middle East and everywhere in between.A Deep FriendshipOur friendship has deepened in times of crises, andimportantly in times of peace. This month has markedthe 70th anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS treaty– formalising that incredible Alliance. It also sees the 20thanniversary of 9/11, where, within days of those appallingterrorist attacks, ANZUS was invoked for the first time.In the months ahead, we will reflect on what Australiaand the United States have achieved together, in thosetimes of war and in those times of peace.We can see this in the rhetoric of CCP spokespersons– which has become increasingly bellicose over recentyears. We can see it in the activities of the CCP whichhave become increasingly coercive, driven by a zero-summentality. Their activities undermine the sovereigntyof other nations and grate against the rules-basedinternational order; an order from which they have happilybenefited for decades.I want to reflect on the Alliance today, the opportunitiesfor the future collaboration, and the crucial importance ofindustry and business in supporting defence objectives.Our region is the global epicentre of increased strategiccompetition. Whatever transpires in the Indo-Pacific willnot purely affect the nations of our region. The ripplesas we know will be felt by others globally. That is whyall nations have an interest in ensuring the Indo-Pacificremains stable and prosperous, open and inclusive andthat of course includes China. Australia wants a positiveand constructive relationship with China, but the onusis now on the CCP to demonstrate – through words anddeeds – that China will contribute to the Indo-Pacific’sstability, not to continue to undermine it.The Alliance TodayThe presence of the United States and its military forcesin our region has underpinned regional peace andprosperity for decades. The United States recognisesits enduring role in this regard, having identified the Indo-Pacific as its ‘priority theatre’ and through the Alliance,we are building a network of partnerships. Countrieswho have shared interests; countries who want to ensureour region is safe and secure and countries who arecommitted to preserving an absolutely necessarypeace - a peace which has driven, and continues todrive, humanity forward for the benefit of all.As we look toward the future, it becomes clear thatour Alliance is absolutely more important than ever.We are grappling with a regional environment far-morecomplex and far-less predictable than at any time sincethe Second World War. The times in which we live haveechoes of the 1930s, but they also present their ownunique contemporary challenges.In this endeavour, like-minded countries are increasinglyworking together at the bilateral and multilateral levels. Forexample, the Quad partnership – Australia, India, Japanand the United States – has committed to expandingsafe, affordable, and effective vaccine production,and its equitable access across the Indo-Pacific. TheFive Eyes remains a fundamental intelligence-sharing38 Australian Polity
relationship. One which has immense value in the broadernational security and policy realm. The Pacific Step-up isAustralia’s enduring commitment to supporting our nearneighbours in a range of areas – like capacity building,humanitarian assistance, and disaster response.We also want to work with Indonesia, with Singapore,and other partners in Southeast Asia – building on ouralready strong relationships and in so doing, supportingASEAN’s centrality in our regional security architecture.I am focused on ensuring Australia’s military activitiescontribute to stability and to peace: to protecting themaritime trade corridors upon which we all rely andprosper; to maintaining freedom of navigation andoverflight in accordance with the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea and to deterring themost egregious forms of coercion and aggression. Thatis why we are working with the United States and ourlike-minded friends. It is why I am eager to level-up ourdefence engagement and our joint training initiatives.The Australian Defence Force regularly undertakes bilateraland multilateral defence training activities anddeployments. Like joint and trilateral passage exercisein the region. Like Exercise Talisman Sabre. Like thebiennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific – hosted by the USand which last year involved 10 nations, including sevenfrom the Indo-Pacific. Or like Exercise Malabar – hostedby India but also involving Japan and United States. Theappetite for – indeed the necessity of – these defenceactivities is increasing.A core component of our collaboration is the US ForcePosture Initiatives. Since 2012, we have hosted USmarines in Darwin as part of a rotational force. Thenumber of marines has grown from 200 to over 2,000 –I want to see that number increase further.Another initiative is enhanced air cooperation betweenour air forces, now in its fourth year. Given Australia’sgeographic location – our strategic position in theIndo-Pacific – and our defence infrastructure in theNorthern Territory and Queensland, I think there is aclear opportunity to strengthen the US Force PostureInitiatives.Future CollaborationAt the same time, there are clear opportunities to deepenour two nations’ industrial base collaboration. We canwork even closer together on defence capabilities,on infrastructure, on science and on technology. Theemergence of new and disruptive technologies isaltering the nature of warfare. The boundaries betweenconflict and competition are becoming increasinglyblurred. The cyber realm, economics, trade, resources,and digital media are but some areas being used ascoercive battering rams – or indeed, being weaponisedin new ways. Consequently, the arenas of tension haveexpanded, making the prospect of military conflict sadlyless remote than in the past – especially as a result ofmiscalculation or indeed misunderstanding.We need to pool our know-how and resources in waysthat sustain our capability edge. That means maintaininginvestment in our core military capabilities – likesubmarines, frigates and fighter jets. While continuingto develop capabilities to hold a potential adversary’sforces and infrastructure at risk from a greater distance.Capabilities which send a clear deterrent message to anyadversary: that the cost they would incur in threateningour interests outweighs the benefits of so doing. Theseinclude new long-range strike weapons, offensive anddefensive cyber, and area denial systems. And capabilitieswhich can be produced in bulk, more quickly and cheaply,and where their loss would be more tolerable, withoutsignificantly impacting our force posture.I am referring to assets like autonomous craft andremotely piloted drones. Assets which can undertakemultifaceted missions, be used in a swarm capacity, orteamed with traditional manned capabilities for forcemultiplier effects. The unmanned Loyal Wingman is I thinkthe most impressive military combat aircraft that we haveseen recently and to be designed in Australia for morethan half a century. It’s a partnership between the RoyalAustralian Air Force and Boeing Australia. This aircraft– and the underlying ecosystem of Australian industry –is an insight into the potential of future capabilities andwhat can be achieved in partnership.Our Government’s investment in Australia’s defenceAustralian Polity 39
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