Posted on 02/26/2003 10:50:19 AM PST by smpc
Australia's Defence Force will be transformed into a mobile, flexible force to fight alongside the United States in conflicts across the globe, according to a new review.
The Howard Government is even considering joining the US program to create a defensive shield against ballistic missile attack, a successor of its "star wars" plans.
The changes are mapped out in the national security review released yesterday by Defence Minister Robert Hill, responding to the dramatic impact of terrorism on the "strategic landscape".
It says the US alliance is a national asset, with its military dominance deterring enemies from attacking Australia.
With a decreased risk of conventional military attack, Australia needed a reshaped force to join US-led coalitions against terrorism, Senator Hill said.
Sending our forces further afield had become more likely with increased threats from terrorists, rogue states and weapons of mass destruction.
"In tasks further afield, we expect that basically the responses will be coalitions led by the US," Senator Hill said.
He said developing a shield against missile attack was expensive and scientifically challenging, but needed to be explored with rogue states possessing longer-range ballistic missiles. "It may be a necessary form of security protection for others than the United States," he said.
North Korea was developing missiles that could strike Australia.
The deterrent effect of US global primacy reduced the "need for ADF operations in defence of Australia", the review said.
With no further funding boosts promised, major weapons purchases might have to be delayed to pay for a reshaped force, Senator Hill said. Decisions on new equipment should be announced in this year's budget.
More emphasis on special forces and trooplift capacity is likely, along with more deployable army units. Weapons and equipment will be interoperable with the US military.
"As certainty and predictability have decreased, the need for flexibility and adaptability in capability have increased," Senator Hill said. "New capabilities are on line to ensure Australia can provide valuable niche capabilities to expeditionary forces."
The war on terror would last for years and it was reasonable to plan for further overseas deployments, as Australia faced a "real and immediate threat from terror", he said.
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