Australia - Who Will Defend You?

Reading the following it becomes quite clear that most of Australia's military campaigns were conducted on foreign territory and far away from home.

The six British colonies in Australia participated in some of Britain's wars of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, as a federated dominion and later as an independent nation, Australia fought in the First World War and Second World War. The wars in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam during the Cold War. Australian forces have been involved in numerous international peacekeeping missions, through the United Nations , including in the Sinai, Persian Gulf, Rwanda, Somalia, East Timor and the Solomon Islands,. They have also fought as part of multi-lateral forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 100,000 Australians died during these conflicts.

In the meantime, the People's Republic of China (PRC), under the leadership of president Xi Jinping, has become one political, economic and military superpower. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has secured China access to vital sea routes and ports. In addition, there is a long list of territorial disputes with neighbouring countries. The PRC's claim over the China Seas keeps the waters still boiling there. Taiwan or the Republic of China are priority number one on its political menu card. It appears that accepting international arbitration is not a priority for the Chinese leadership. With the PRC's claim on Taiwan and North Korea's ongoing firing of missiles the Asia-Pacific region is far away from long-lasting peace. The PRC has reached out to the South Pacific nations and hopes to finalize the TASI MANE project in East Timor. The latter, once finalized, would see Chinese navy vessels and aircraft operating just a few hundred miles northwest of Darwin.

AUSTRALIA'S GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY LEADERSHIP MUST DECIDE ON PRIORITY BASIS ON THE SIZE OF ITS DEFENCE FORCE AND IF CONSCRIPTION WILL HAVE TO BE INTRODUCED. THE FORCE MUST BE CAPABLE OF DEFENDING THE MAINLAND, AIRSPACE AND THE WATERS WITHIN THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.

The fact is that with professional military personnel you can participate in operations composed of allied forces or under the United Nations flag. You can accept the fact that parts of the helicopter fleet is grounded, other military hardware not ready or without crews. But the situation will be completely different when the complete defence force is on high alert in the defence of Australia.

Can we count on the military assistance from our ANZUS partners; New Zealand and the United States? In case of the latter it will depend who the next US president will be and where else in the world the US might be engaged. Make no mistake, China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are challenging Uncle Sam.

Let's remember, if Uncle Sam is engaged in military operations against Chinese forces we will be called upon to join him under the ANZUS Treaty. This scenario can happen at any time in the near future. NOT WHEN THE FIRST AUKUS SUBMARINE WILL BE OPERATIONAL IN THE EARLY 2030's OR SO.

Of course, there are other issues to be addressed like one strong reserve force, home defence and those emergency services required on the ground when war breaks out. During times of peace you can choose your commercial partners and engage in diplomatic relations with countries interested in. However, being aware of possible adversaries during a crisis or conflict will crucial for your survival. Will the United States defend Australia militarily and is the Australian Defence Force ready today? Ready for the defence of the national territory, the waters within the Exclusive Economic Zone and airspace. Unfortunately, natural disasters continue to strike states and territories resulting in military deployment of various ADF elements. This in turn calls for strong and well-equipped Emergency Services during times of tensions or war.

Undoubtedly, today's ADF structure needs to be reviewed for meeting the challenges in the very near future under war-like conditions and closer to our boundaries. If Uncle Sam only deploys its Marine Rotational Force in the Norther Territory during the months from April to October what if a serious crisis occurs in our immediate neighbourhood from November to March?