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The Defence Of Australia
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The Structure Of Australia’s Defence Force
by Dr Robert O’Neill, Head of the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
The theme of this article is the structure of the Australian Defence Force. I hope that the title does not appear too specialised for readers who are more concerned with broad matters of foreign policy and strategic interaction. However, let me assure you it is not my intention to lead this examination into a stupefying maze of detail. Rather, I wish to approach the topic from first principles concentrating particularly on the much-neglected area of the linkage between the Australian strategic environment and the capabilities and type of units that the Defence Force should have. There is a substantial degree of public comment in the air at present on defence policy, some of which is accurate and some of which wrong. Before one can go far in identifying which is which, it is necessary to have a view of the defence contingencies that Australia should be prepared to meet, the best strategies we can adopt to use our scarce national resources to meet these contingencies and a force structure which can implement these strategies most effectively. HENCE I believe that this topic is central to the current public discussion of Australian defence policy.
Australia’s defence posture has been characterised in recent years by various titles such as Fortress Australia, Continental Defence and Defence of Australia. The importance of these labels is to distinguish the current posture, whatever it may be in the eye of the beholder, from its predecessor, Forward Defence However let us define our terms a little more carefully What I understand from these new titles Is that Australia now seeks to defend itself and secure Its Interests primarily by forces stationed in Australia, rather than in South-east Asia However I do not believe that the defence of Australia can be secured by forces which cannot range far out from Australia to strike at assembly points of enemy forces and their bases. Therefore it is a sine qua non of an effective posture that Australia should have forces which can strike hard at targets as far from the coast as three thousand kilometres To permit an enemy to reach close to our shores before retaliating could be a suicidal strategy. Therefore I hope I am clearly understood as being concerned both with Australia’s mainland and offshore territories and with her maritime environment extending as far as Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Antarctica and the central Indian Ocean.
Threats to Australia
What are the principal types of threat which might be presented to Australia over the next 20 years? I shall not treat this question at length on this occasion because if I do I shall cover nothing else in the time available. Further I would commend to you the discussion of this topic in Defence Minister Killen’s statement to the Parliament of March 29. In essence, there are three types of threat which could arise.
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