The Top Ender Magazine August September 2023 Edition

THE NORTHERN TERRITORY’S
ROLE IN REGIONAL SECURITY
If our history teaches us anything, it is
that the Territory’s security is dependent
on that of the broader Indo-Pacific
region. One stark reminder of our shared
fate is of course the bombing of Darwin.
In 1942, Darwin was targeted because it
was then a forward operating base
ferrying U.S. aircraft to the Philippines to
fend off invasion. As it was then, our
security remains indivisible from the
regions.
Another reminder of our interconnectedness came
on 7 May during commemorations of the Battle of
the Coral Sea. We remembered the fallen in this
naval battle in which the Allies turned back the tide
of the Japanese advances deep into the Pacific. As
American Australian Association NT President
Bradley Torgan said, we commemorate this battle ‘in
the hope that it shall never happen again.’
I again felt the weight of history when accompanying
the Prime Minister to Singapore in June to the
Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier foreign and
defence policy forum. One of our closest defence
partners in Southeast Asia, Singapore is iconic in
Australian military history because its dramatic fall
Photo: Luke Gosling and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles meeting U.S.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the June 2023 Shangri-La Dialogue.
to the Japanese in 1942 forced our leaders to engage with the
region independently of London.
At the Dialogue, I participated in a range of bilateral meetings
alongside Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. It was good to
meet U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and discuss
Darwin’s role in hosting U.S. Marines and efforts to ensure a free
and open Indo-Pacific. I was glad to see the first joint Australian,
U.S., Philippines, and Japanese defence ministers’ meeting
reaffirming this goal.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered the keynote
address at the Dialogue in which he called on China and the
U.S. to establish reliable and open channels of communication
or guardrails in their relationship. The Prime Minister noted
that Australia’s deterrence measures aimed to prevent the
outbreak of war and set out his vision for a region that respects
the agency of smaller countries.
At a time when we are seeing the largest military build-up of
any country since the Second World War in our region, it is
critical that we pursue this shared vision of an Indo-Pacific with
strong transparency around defence modernisation programs. In
this spirit, Australia consulted every ASEAN and Pacific partner
in over 60 phone calls before announcing our AUKUS decision.
The up to $58 billion AUKUS deal is Australia’s pathway to
acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. It
will see rotations of UK and U.S. submarines to Australia from
2027, the delivery of three U.S. Virginia-class submarines from as
early as the 2030s, and SSN-AUKUS, a new conventionally
armed, nuclear-powered submarine, built in Australia in the early
2040s.
In Singapore, I also met with British ministers because AUKUS is
an inter-generational project that will pool the strength of our
three great democracies. To succeed, parliamentarians
across the U.S. Congress and the Australian and UK
Parliaments will need to work closely together to deliver
this technology-sharing plan. That is why I recently
founded a Parliamentary Friends of AUKUS group in
Parliament with Aaron Violi MP, the Member for Casey.
The establishment of AUKUS highlighted for me how
inextricably the security and prosperity of the NT are
tied to those of the Indo-Pacific. With our SSN-AUKUS
submarines, which will create 20,000 direct jobs, including
in the Territory, Darwin will become even more
important as our Fleet Base North, enabling Australia to
uphold the rules-based order across Southeast Asia and
the Pacific.
By virtue of our proximity to the region, the Northern
Territory is increasingly central to Australia’s defence
strategy. Recognising this imperative, the Defence
Strategic Review called for ‘a re-posturing of Defence,
particularly an enhanced network of bases, ports and
barracks across northern Australia’, and the government
committed $3.8 billion to ensure the North is prepared
to defend the nation.
Luke Gosling OAM MP is an Army veteran who
served in the ADF for 13 years. He is the federal
Member for Solomon, representing Darwin and
Palmerston in Canberra.
VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC DAY
15 AUGUST 1945
JAPAN SURRENDERS
On the 15th August 1945, Australian Prime
Minister Ben Chifley announced on radio that
Japan had unconditionally surrendered to allied
forces, bringing the Second World War to an
end.
After six years of war and over 45,000 killed in
service or as prisoners of war, Australians
celebrated with church services, gala concerts
and parades. Over 200,000 Australians serving
overseas began to return home, as well as
thousands who had been prisoners of war,
reuniting families.
The formal surrender took place on 2
September 1945 aboard the USS Missouri in
Tokyo Bay. General Sir Thomas Blamey
represented Australia at the ceremony while a
dozen Royal Australian Navy ships were
among those gathered in the bay.
The 15th of August is a day for us to all
reflect on the important contributions of
Australians to end the conflict in the Pacific
region - we give thanks to our Second World
War veterans on Victory in the Pacific Day.
Photos: VP Day General Sir Thomas Blamey - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/
C170850
VP Day NORCOM https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C301565 Description:
Madang, New Guinea, 1945-08-15. Sitting around a table (left) on which glasses and
bottles of alcohol are resting, four RAAF officers serving with Headquarters, RAAF
Northern Command (NORCOM), celebrate Victory in the Pacific (VP) Day. The
men are (left to right): Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Gordon Grainger; Flt Lt Toby Clay;
82586 Flying Officer (FO) Allen Robert Griffiths, Administrative and Special Duties
(A&SD) Intelligence; Squadron Leader Arch Longden, Welfare Officer. The men are
sitting at the entrance to Flt Lt Grainger's hut or tent. Both Flt Lt Grainger and FO
Griffiths have glasses of alcohol in their hands, while FO Griffiths is also holding a
cigarette.
Sources: https://www.shrine.org.au/victory-pacific-vp-day
https://industry.nt.gov.au/news/2021/august/victory-in-the-pacific-day-15-august
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C170850 (image)
38 The Top Ender | Tri-Services Magazine Incorporated AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 39