AUSTRALIA AND THE UNITED STATES: THE INDISPENSABLE ALLIANCE

REMARKS TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY LEADERS FORUM, CENTER FOR A NEW AMERICAN SECURITY

The Willard Intercontinental Hotel Crystal Room 1401 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC.
 
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SPEAKER: THE HON. JOEL FITZGIBBON, MINISTER FOR DEFENCE

Welcoming Remarks/Introduction:

I firstly acknowledge the kind invitation from the Center for a New American Security

Thank Richard Danzig, Chairman of the Board for the Center, for his introduction. Richard’s distinguished career in government service is a huge asset to the Center.

The Center is a new player on the academic and government scene and I have been impressed by the calibre of its people and the way in which it has built a position of influence in a short space of time.

And I don’t say this just because you employ Australians, though I have noted that David Kilcullen, one of our more famous exports in the think tank market, has now joined the Center’s team.

It was a Center for a New American Security publication that, in June last year, described Australia as “increasingly and indisputably a top-tier American ally and a critical partner in the most sensitive and important US missions in the world”.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. Indeed, it reflects the intent of my speech here this evening.

I also identify with the Center’s charter: to develop “strong, pragmatic and principled national security and defense policies that promote and protect American interests and values”.

These are the same characteristics that I am applying to

Australia’s defence policy:

·        “Strong”: in its defence of Australia’s sovereignty and national interests, and the capabilities afforded to the Australian Defence Force to protect them. 

·        “Pragmatic”: in our relationships with our allies and partners, and in our approach to complex security challenges. 

·        “Principled”: in our commitment to preserving our hard-won freedoms and in promoting a stable, peaceful and prosperous international environment, together with a global rules-based order which enhances Australia’s national interests.[1]

I am very happy to have this opportunity to elaborate further on the challenges that we both face in a changing international security environment; to acknowledge the difficult, dangerous and necessary work that our soldiers are doing together in Afghanistan; and – in all this – to reflect on the value of the indispensable alliance between our two great countries.

Shaping the Security Environment

I have just come directly from our annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations known as AUSMIN. This was the first AUSMIN meeting between the Rudd Government and the Obama administration but it is the 24th occasion on which the meeting has been held.

That these meetings have continued over such a long period between Administration and Governments of each of the four major political parties of our two countries says much about the value and strength of our alliance.

Today, Minister Smith, Secretary Gates, Secretary of State Clinton and I had the opportunity to discuss the challenges that confront us in a changing international security environment.

Our alliance is a constant in the midst of that change.

It is important that we exchange these views, it is even more important that we speak with one voice on those challenges that threaten our common interests.

It is a feature of our alliance that our exchange of views are frank.  And, importantly, our words lead to actions outside the meeting room. 

By agreeing on where our interests align, we can act together in the international community to advance those interests.

That is why today we have jointly voiced our concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities, including its continued defiance of the UN Security Council Resolutions requiring Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment-related, reprocessing and heavy water-related activities, and to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

We acknowledge Iran’s right to civil nuclear energy and urge the Iranian Government to provide the transparency needed to verify that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

For this reason, the Australian Government strongly supports the United States’ willingness to engage in direct diplomacy with Iran and welcomes President Obama’s outreach, which we hope is reciprocated.

We also condemned North Korea’s leaders for their launch of a Taepo-Dong 2 long-range rocket, a violation of United Nations Security Resolution 1718.  We called on North Korea to suspend all its ballistic missile-related activities, as required by the resolution, and to focus instead on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related technologies is likely to grow over the next twenty to thirty years.  Australia will continue to work with the United States to counter this threat, through the Proliferation Security Initiative and by strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime.

Australia’s establishment, with Japan, of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament is indicative of the Australian Government’s commitment in this field.

We welcome the support the United States Government for this important initiative.

We recognise, too, the important role played by US extended nuclear deterrence in countering the ambitions of proliferators and states of concern.

Australia benefits from this as an alliance partner but we also make a direct contribution through the hosting of joint facilities at Pine Gap, and a number of other joint activities hosted on Australian soil

The joint facilities at Pine Gap provide ballistic missile early warning information and support the monitoring of compliance with arms control and disarmament regimes.  They are an indispensable part of the United States’ nuclear deterrence posture.

The proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction is only one of the threats we see in the future.  I also anticipate that our global security environment will be challenged by the consequences of climate change and associated resource security issues, involving future tensions over the supply of food, energy and water. 

These issues are likely to exacerbate already significant population, infrastructure and governance problems in the developing world.

Broader security challenges like these must only serve to strengthen our alliance: they are certainly not issues that can be resolved by countries working in isolation.

I also recognise that our cooperation on these broader security challenges will have to take place as we together confront more immediate, direct threats to peace and global order.

Nowhere is this more important now than defeating the insurgency in Afghanistan and tackling the inseparable problems of terrorism and extremism in the Afghanistan/Pakistan border region.

Afghanistan/Pakistan

Today, at AUSMIN, Secretary Gates, Secretary Clinton, Minister Smith and I reaffirmed the commitment of our two countries to stabilisation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

Australia is there to support international efforts to ensure that Afghanistan does not once again descend into a safe-haven and launching pad for those seeking to commit acts of terror against innocent victims around the world, including Australians.

We welcome President Obama's decision to increase forces in southern Afghanistan – an area that has seen some of the most intense fighting in recent years.

And I know this decision was made with solemn consideration - it is a complex and tough war that has taken the lives of too many brave soldiers from both of our countries.

Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to international forces in Afghanistan and the ninth largest overall.

Almost 1100 Australian Defence Force personnel are working with their US and Dutch counterparts in Oruzgan Province, in the south of Afghanistan, to bring peace and development to its people.

For a country our size and for a country with our regional commitments this is a significant slice of our military capability.

ISAF partners must maintain their collective resolve to work together in building security and providing stability for the young, struggling Afghan nation-state: So that it can, in turn, build its own future - free from terrorism.

Just last week, my colleague Minister Smith announced that Australia will provide $21 million to support the Afghan Government to deliver national programs in health, education, rural development and microfinance.

Australia’s support in these areas has already contributed to increased school enrolment in Oruzgan, funded 26,000 rural infrastructure projects, fixed 9,000 kilometres of road and helped build 70 schools.

The Australian Government fully supports President Obama's strategy for eradicating terrorism and building the capacity of Afghan national security forces so they can take the lead in providing their own national security. 

Indeed, it mirrors our own approach in Oruzgan Province, where some months ago we re-configured our deployment in order to place a greater focus on the training of the Afghan National Army.

Of course the challenges and problems our forces face in Afghanistan are not confined by national borders. In this, we welcome the Reidel Review's focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan as a single strategic issue.

We cannot hope to make progress in the fight against terrorism without concerted actions in other areas - including economic aid, political reconciliation, capacity building and technical assistance.

The Australian Government is also looking for ways we can expand our overall engagement with Pakistan including in the defence sphere.

Asia Pacific/China

Notwithstanding our current and important shared efforts in Afghanistan, the Asia Pacific region remains the centre of gravity for Australia-US alliance.

In the Asia Pacific, Australia has long benefited from the counsel of the United States, a proven friend and a trusted ally.  We have worked hard together to maintain peace and security in our region.

But this security cannot be taken for granted.

In just ten years, Asia will account for 45 per cent of global GDP and one-third of global trade. 

It will be home to well over half the world’s population and its growth will account for more than half of the increase in global energy consumption[2].

In this time of great change, Australia’s security and prosperity will depend on the stability of our region.  Our alliance with the United States underwrites that stability.

The United States will remain the most powerful and influential strategic actor in the region for at least the next twenty years -  economically, politically and militarily.

But China’s rise will inevitably change, in significant ways, the strategic dynamics of the Asia Pacific region. 

And the management of the relationship between Washington and Beijing will have important consequences for strategic stability.

Australia needs to have a healthy relationship with China, not least because it is our largest trading partner. 

We are also keen to work in partnership with China because it is a critical player in ensuring security in our region.

Like the United States, Australia encourages China to work constructively with the international community and to improve regional confidence in its intentions, especially by pursuing a more transparent approach to its military modernisation.

In the absence of such transparency, concerns will persist about China’s pursuit of power projection capabilities.

We want to expand our defence engagement with China, in order to generate trust, mutual understanding and greater openness.

This does not mean that we will accept uncritically all that China says or does.  Where we have concerns about China’s human rights, or military capabilities or intentions, we will raise these concerns frankly and act in our national interest and the interests of the region.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, Australia is committed to taking a leading role in promoting and safeguarding regional security.

Though our leadership of the Regional Assistance Mission, we are assisting the Solomon Islands in a return to stable government and security.

In East Timor, the security situation continues to improve.  Australia has 650 troops in this emerging democracy and we maintain a long term commitment to supporting reform in East Timor’s security sector and to promoting East Timor’s democratic and economic development.

And we are pursuing a closer and stronger relationship with Indonesia.  We welcomed Secretary Clinton’s early visit to Indonesia: a stable and democratic Indonesia is critical to security in our nearer region.

Indonesia is the world’s third largest democracy and the world’s largest Muslim-majority country; it has a liberal democracy with a free press.

By any measure and with little fanfare, Indonesia has made remarkable progress over the last ten years:

·        Democracy is deepening: since 2005, over 500 overwhelmingly peaceful elections have taken place at local, provincial and national levels.

·        TNI has pulled back from its once commanding role in national politics.

·        A consensus has emerged among the Indonesian elite that secular democracy is the best way to arbitrate competing interests.

Indonesia has achieved major success in the fight against terrorism.  Since 2002, Indonesia has arrested 440 individuals and successfully prosecuted nearly 200 on terror-related charges.

Australia and the United States must continue to do all we can to reinforce these positive trends by engaging ever more closely with Indonesia.

The Alliance – Looking Forward

Sixty years on from the establishment of the Alliance, we will continue to work together in promoting peace and security in the broader Asia-Pacific region.

An important component of Australia’s role will be the maintenance of the military capability required to play both a role in maintaining stability in the broader region, and the capacity to take a leadership role in maintaining peace and stability in our immediate region.

The platform for ensuring we maintain that capacity will be the Government’s soon-to-be-released Defence White Paper.

This White Paper will provide a comprehensive review of Australia’s defence policy and the force structure and capabilities needed to defend our interests.

It is a White Paper being developed in the most difficult of economic times.  The global recession is putting enormous pressure on government budgets everywhere.

That is one of the reasons I am driving broader reforms in the Australian defence organisation – to cut wasteful spending and to free up dollars for re-investment in our highest defence priorities.

Our strategic outlook is calling upon us to do more not less.  Without the savings which will flow from these broader reforms, Australia will not be able

to produce a force with sufficient size, weight and capability to meet the demands of that strategic assessment.

The White Paper, building on the Prime Minister’s National Security Statement of December last year, will confirm Australia’s alliance with the United States as our most important – indeed, our indispensable – defence relationship.

Our alliance affords Australia unparalleled access to materiel, intelligence, research and development, and skills and expertise that substantially strengthen the Australian Defence Force.

At AUSMIN today, Secretary Gates and I agreed on principles that will guide and strengthen our intelligence collaboration and cyber security cooperation. 

We also agreed on principles to guide our greater cooperation in the field of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Without access to US capabilities, technology and training, the ADF simply could not be the advanced force it is today, and must be in the future.

This is especially significant for our ability to work with the US in coalition operations.

If we are to continue to work together, our interoperability must be seamless and our investments complementary: the ADF needs access to the capabilities and technologies to allow this to occur.

I look forward to seeing this interoperability in action later this year, in Exercise TALISMAN SABER, our largest combined exercise involving almost 30,000 Australian and American personnel.

While the US provides us with access to important military technologies, Australia hosts Joint Facilities on our vast continent which increase the situational awareness of both countries and protect both nation-states from the threat of Ballistic Missiles.

Australia has extensive training areas like that which hosts Exercise Talisman Saber that allow US forces to exercise a wide range of capabilities.

Of course, Australia’s knowledge and networks in the Asia Pacific region provide unique insights and access that benefit both nations.

Australia’s fighting men and women are second to none and contribute to global security in a range of roles – whether they are on patrol in the streets of East Timor, keeping the peace in Darfur, engaging the Taliban in Afghanistan or working with our allies in the offices of Central Command in Tampa.

Australia and the United States will continue to work together to protect our common interests and to advance the cause of global peace.

The closeness and longevity of our relationship, and all the things that we share in common – our language, our democracy, freedom of the press, free markets – make it very easy to see our alliance as a natural partnership.

But even natural partnerships take work.  If we were to rest on our laurels, our alliance would inevitably weaken.

Therefore, it is our day-to-day work together that keeps our alliance strong. We must be ever vigilant, and work hard, to further nurture and advance our alliance relationship.

That is why Stephen Smith and I are in Washington today.  It’s why our Prime Minister was here recently, and it’s why we will be back on a regular basis.

Thank you.