Defence Update — Election 96

A new Security Agreement with Indonesia, which caught many observers by surprise in January, has been in the pipeline for several years, and now formally endorses in writing arrangements developed largely by some of the Australian Defence Force’s past and present senior officers.

To date the basic complaint of the Federal Opposition is the claim that the 13 year old Labour Government has seriously run down the readiness of the combat capabilities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and that a Coalition Government would move to redress that situation.

The Shadow Minister for Defence, Senator Jocelyn Newman, in accusing the Government of mismanagement of Australia’s defence late last year, quoted the most recent former Army Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General John Grey, as having said that Australia would have difficulty defending itself against a prolonged attack. She also noted that General Grey, now in retirement, had identified one of the greatest weaknesses in Defence as being the Government’s neglect of reserve forces.

In an address to the National Press Club in November, the Defence Minister, Senator Robert Ray, spoke of “the quasi-bipartisanship which exists on defence issues in the Parliament tends to focus on debate about specific matters, rather than radical changes in direction”.

He said that Defence policy decisions are not made for the short term, and that long term planning must override short term political considerations. The Minister said Defence had gone through immense change in the last decade, and that when Labor won office in 1983, it inherited a bloated Defence organisation.

“In partnership with the Defence organisation, we have streamlined Defence management. Since 1990 the Defence bureaucracy has been reduced by 16%. This has meant a leaner, more efficient organisation — better suited to meeting the challenges of the future,” he added.

(The Defence annual report for 1994/95 which was issued late last year put the Permanent Defence Force strength at June 30, 1994 as 58,188. The funded number of ADF Full Time and Part Time Ready Reserves was 2950, while the funded number of General Reserves was 24,247. The civilian strength of the Department of Defence at June 30 1995 was 20,767. All figures represented reductions on the previous year.)

Senator Newman countered Senator Ray’s views on the overall health of the Defence structure in Australia by saying the Reserves, an essential element of the ADF, in particular were “starved of the training and resources they need to be fully effective”. She said there were personnel problems across all three Services — Navy, Army and Air Force. These include manning shortages for Navy surface ships and the new Collins submarines, and in Air Force pilot retention and air traffic controller numbers.

The Senator also said that regards hardware, the “Air Force lacks the vitally important capability of an airborne early warning and command system for surveillance of our northern and western coastlines”.

But to return to Senator Ray’s speech at the National Press Club. He said the policy goals of Defence have been firmly outlined in Strategic Reviews and White Papers (1994 and 1987).

“There are three basic tenets to the Government’s Defence policy. Self reliance; Regional engagement; and Alliances. Regional engagement remains a central tenet of our Defence policy,” he said.

“Firm bilateral relationships with our neighbours reinforce confidence building. It guarantees that transparencies will remain a feature of the relationships. We in this region basically know each other’s capability, and this gives more certainty to our long term futures.

“Alliances remain critical – none more so than the US Alliance,” the Senator said. “It provides Australia with unparalleled access to intelligence, technology and bilateral training opportunities. Similarly, our alliance with New Zealand has allowed closer defence relations to develop and mature.”

Senator Ray said the most immediate task is to put “meat on the bones of the policy for Defence self reliance”. Australia had a technological edge within the region which had allowed it to have a small standing force.

“We will seek to have a minimal platform which will retain our competencies across a wide range of areas which can be expanded if a high level contingency threat emerges,” he added. “We are taking steps to reinforce the high technology aspects of our Defence approach.”

The Minister said the Government remains committed to providing Defence personnel with the most effective weapons platforms the nation can afford. He outlined what he called a “bow wave” of naval expenditure — programmes for the construction of Collins submarines, ANZAC frigates, Huon coastal minehunters, and most recently for two Oceanographic ships, the refitting of two Helicopter Support Ships, plans to upgrade the FFG frigates, and proposals to buy new Offshore Patrol Combatants.

But he said the biggest equipment concentration in the forthcoming years will be for Air Force projects like the current upgrades of the P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, and the F-111 strike/reconnaissance jets, tenders for a new Lead In Fighter/Jet trainer, and the progressive replacement of the C-130 Hercules transports by new C-130J models. Planning is now well underway to acquire early warning aircraft, and new helicopters for the Navy and the Army.

The Australian Army is introducing its new range of Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) this year.

An upgrade of the M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers — APCs and tenders for a new infantry mobility vehicle named Bushranger are well advanced. Emphasis is being given to sophisticated command and control equipment and a variety of secure communications to enhance Army’s capability.

“Yet all these decisions will be for naught unless we have competent and well trained personnel to operate them. It is here that the great challenges exist in Defence planning,” Senator Robert Ray said. He acknowledged that the skills acquired by Defence servicemen and women made them extremely attractive to outside organisations, and said engineers, pilots and air traffic controllers were in particularly strong demand by other employers.

He said to compete with civilian employers, the Australian Defence Force will have to provide conditions of service which compensate for the special nature of military careers, and said the Government would be looking carefully at accommodation, allowances, leave and travel arrangements.

Answering his own question as to why it is necessary to spend $10 billion a year on Defence when Australia does not have an “enemy”, Senator Ray said that spending 2% of GDP is a sensible insurance policy. “Possessing a competent Defence Force means it is less likely for a potential enemy to emerge,” he concluded.

Following his speech, the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Mr Gary Punch released the Glenn Review on personnel policies. Mr Punch said they included a package of measures, including a revamped pay system, interest subsidies, spouse employment and superannuation, although some like the issue of salaries would seem to be put off for three years.

A Canberra Times report in December quoted unnamed senior military officers as angry over the Government’s bid to halt the exodus of highly trained personnel from the ADF.

“A pay rise in three years won’t stop the rot now,” one officer said. “I would like to know why an air traffic control officer in the ADF on $52,000 a year can go to the (civilian) AirServices Australia for an immediate 20% pay rise with the promise of more,” he is quoted as saying.

Senator Newman accused the Government of a “too-little-too-late” approach, and said most of the package was uncosted. “How far will Labor go in offering comparative pay for various occupations?” she said.

On general matters, she said the Coalition had long supported regional engagement, and has had a policy of supporting closer defence relations with the region for a number of years.

She disputed “Labor’s grand claims of having led” the Australian discovery of Asia, also disputed by others who remember Critical/National ministerial initiatives in the Asian/Pacific region dating back to the 1950s and 1960s.

Senator Newman said there was strong bipartisan support for regional ties, and that the recent speech by the Opposition Leader, Mr John Howard had committed a future Coalition Government to building further on achievements already made in expanding Australia’s economic and political interaction.

“The Coalition’s approach to security can be considered in this context,” Senator Newman said. “We are committed to regional engagement, but there is more to be done, and perhaps in a better way than in the past.

“The Cold War uncertainties demand closer attention from Australia’s defence planners,” she said. “In particular, we have to ensure that adequate attention to North Asia in addition to that directed to South East Asia.” She strongly dismissed a claim by the Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating that the Coalition has “a fear of Asia”.

“The Coalition is committed to our region. The Coalition is committed to strengthening the US alliance. The Coalition is committed to enhancing Australia’s defence self reliance. We do not have to choose between these objectives. They are complementary and interwoven,” Senator Newman said.

It is a tough and often thankless task being the spokesperson on Defence matters whilst in opposition. The daily media preoccupation in most instances with sensationalism gives little opportunity for a Shadow Defence Minister to be heard, let alone shine.

While they are given some standard briefings, the initiatives and the details remain within the Department and the Australian Defence Force and the Government as is normal. Only in government does the full range of official detail and their reasoning emerge. Nevertheless, with limited knowledge, Senator Newman has stuck to the task of probing mainly worrying personnel issues and manning problems, while at the same time keenly following projects and defence industry matters. Last year she undertook a tour of some South East Asian countries, and made some useful contacts in that region.

As we have said earlier, the Coalition’s official Defence Policy was awaited at the time of writing. However Mr Howard, in a speech on Australia’s Defence policy last October, has signalled that a Coalition Government would combine defence, foreign affairs and trade policies into a national security strategy for the Post Cold War era. While not defined, observers believe this may herald the establishment of a National Security Office to coordinate security policy.

Mr Howard attacked the 1994 Defence White Paper, saying it failed to tackle serious shortcomings including inadequate combat strength, the drift in the ANZUS alliance, a confused approach to regional engagement, deficiencies in the Army’s Reserve forces and neglect of defence personnel.

He said a Coalition Government would increase the emphasis on combat capability because only 25% of the Army’s 27,000 troops, 33% of the Navy’s 14,000 sailors, and 10% of the Air Force’s manpower of some 20,000 were assigned to combat roles. It would cut administrative and support costs and use the savings to add teeth to the ADF’s combat units, he added.