Australia, US in missile pact

The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Australia) ^ | 19th June, 2004 | AAP

[KangarooJacqui]

Australia, US in missile pact

AUSTRALIA would formally commit to the US missile defence program at a joint conference to be held in the US next month, Defence Minister Robert Hill said today.

Senator Hill said the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) would formalise Australia's long-term commitment to participate in the US missile defence program.

"We intend to sign the MOU at the next Australia-US Ministerial Consultations planned in the US for early July," Senator Hill said.

Senator Hill said the MOU would provide a 25-year framework under which broad areas of cooperation can be agreed, before entering into more specific arrangements once individual projects were agreed to.

"This is a long-term commitment to securing our future and strengthening the alliance," he said.

Senator Hill said the first area of cooperation would involve research, development, testing and evaluation of technologies that could be used in the missile defence program.

"This will not only be in our strategic defence interests by further developing our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, but also provide maximum opportunities for Australian industry," he said.

A key initial project would be to jointly undertake some exploratory cooperative research and development activities to investigate the potential for Australia's world-leading over-the-horizon radar technology to be used in missile defence.

Other potential areas for participation in the program included greater cooperation in ballistic early missile warning through ship-based and ground-based sensors, Senator Hill said.

[tjwmason]

I think I read somewhere that Australia is the only country that has fought with the U.S. in every conflict that the U.S. has been in since the turn of the last century. So we have a long history here...

I'm not trying to dis Australia (as fellow subjects of the Queen I love them dearly, at least until the Rugby kick-off next Saturday), but were they in Somalia and Kosovo?

I know they were in both of the world wars (they beat you to them too) along with Korea and Viet Nam (which we sat out), and the two Gulf Wars.

[jriemer]

I do hope you're not suggesting Australia is not a genuine ally. The tone of your post suggested as much, even by likening us to Japan (read your WWII history, especially in the Asian theatre, and THEN you'll find out out who your allies were!)

I was not implying that Australia was / is less of an Ally than Japan or any other, I only pointed out that they signed onto the ABM pact second. Their contributions in WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam and the WOT have been greatly appreciated.

Ever since NK lobbed a ICBM over Japan, they have become more involved becoming an equal partner with the US in terms of their defense instead of "off-shoring" this responsibility. This step towards building a multinational ABM system is no different than NORAD during the Cold War and one doesn't have to think too hard what needs "containmint" in Asia.

jriemer

PS - I am aware of history. My great-uncle was a Marine posted to Guam, was captured by the Japanese and spent the rest of WWII in a Japanese work camp. Those who were our enemies can someday become our friends.

[take]

DECLARATION ON DISARMAMENT THE UNITED STATES PROGRAM FOR GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT IN A PEACEFUL WORLD United Nations; http://www.voicenet.com/~wbacon/stdk7277.html

[Tommyjo]

Released September 1961!

[KangarooJacqui]

Um yeah, Pommie, but I didn't see YOU in East Timor and the Solomon Islands... so your point-scoring is just that. Pathetic Pommie whining.

You know the old joke about the British Aiways 747? If not, I;ll tell it for the benefit of you and the rest of the board.

Q. "A BA-747 continues the high-pitched whining even agter the engines are turned off. Why is this?"
A. "Because the bloody Poms never know when to stop whining...."

:-) By the way, some of the best people in my life have been English-born. Then again, there are some English-born citizens I'd throw headlong into the Pacific if I had the chance... which just proves that thewre's good and bad in everyone.

[tjwmason]

Um yeah, Pommie, but I didn't see YOU in East Timor and the Solomon Islands... so your point-scoring is just that. Pathetic Pommie whining.

I hate to ask you to get off your high-horse, but perhaps you could read what I wrote before dragging out the usual anti-British moans.

I simply stated that I was not aware of Australian participation in Kosovo or Somalia, you may notice that I did credit you for being in Viet Nam (when we were not). This is not point scoring, it is accurate recording of history. Please, where is the whinning in that?

For what it's worth, I generally regard Australia as the best country apart from Britain (which is automatically my favourite being my homeland). I have known many fine Australians, including a few relatives of mine. Furthermore, I have never come across this 'pommie whining' only ever Australian whining about the English.

I am delighted that both of our countries are fighting together in Iraq, and I see no reasong to engage in pointless sniping at each other, and I can see nothing else in your message.

[KangarooJacqui]

For what it's worth, I generally regard Australia as the best country apart from Britain (which is automatically my favourite being my homeland). I have known many fine Australians, including a few relatives of mine. Furthermore, I have never come across this 'pommie whining' only ever Australian whining about the English.

Hah! Horsehooey. We've got the brilliant weather, and you've got, what... "Coronation Street"?

Pointscoring over... I'm glad your PM (and ours) saw sense and committed troops to Iraq. I can't help but suspect, though, that Great Britain has become more and more "EU" in its thinking - i.e. the troops committed to Iraq might just be an anomaly, because "after all, we wouldn't want to upset Brusells"...

There are some pretty pissed off countries all over the shop who didn't like it much when the UK decided it cared more about the EU than the Commonwealth... and some of those countries have nukes. *shrug* So when Karachi launches a tactical nuke on London, don't come running to your "mates" in the South Pacific for help... as I predict we'll be far too busy keeping the world's largest Islamic country (Indonesia) from bombing the crap out of Darwin or Brisbane or Broome.

In other words, face it. BRITAIN turned their back on the Commonwealth, NOT the other way around...

[tjwmason]

In other words, face it. BRITAIN turned their back on the Commonwealth, NOT the other way around...

I fear that this is mainly true. The lack of interest in the Commonwealth demonstrated especially by the Heath government taking us into the [then] E.E.C. was, in my opinion, little short of treasonous. But we were hardly flavour of the month in most of the Commonwealth; as over-fast de-colonisation lead to the rise of tyrants (especially in Africa), we were not exactly getting much goodwill from them.

In many ways it was only ever the politicos who felt so strongly attrcted to Europe. The only positive I can mention is that the British lion is being awakened, and is getting decidedly anti-E.U., I can only hope that this will draw us closer to our cousins beyond the seas. I am certainly not alone in feeling a far closer relationship with Australia than with France, Italy or anyother E.U. state.