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MAINTAINING THE STRATEGIC EDGE:

THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA IN 2015

Desmond Ball

Editor

Published by

Strategic and Defence Studies Centre

Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies

The Australian National University

Canberra, Australia 1999

Published in Australia at the

Australian National University 1999

© Each author for his/her chapter, 1999

This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher.

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Maintaining the strategic edge: the defence of Australia in 2015.

Bibliography.

ISBN 0 7315 2766 6

1. Australia - Defenses. 2. Australia - Strategic aspects.

3. Australia - Military policy. I. Ball, Desmond, 1947-.

II. Australian National University. Strategic and Defence

Studies Centre. III. Title. (Series : Canberra papers on strategy and defence; no.133).

355.033594

Series Editor Helen Hookey

Printed by AUSDOC On Demand, Canberra

Published and distributed by:

Strategic and Defence Studies Centre

Building 6, Fellows Road

Australian National University

Canberra ACT 0200 Australia

Tel: 61 (0)2 6279 9921

Fax: 61 (0)2 6248 0816

E-mail: sdsc@anu.edu.au

ABSTRACT

The recent and continuing changes in Southeast Asia - the economic calamity in 1997-98, the overthrow of President Soeharto's New Order and the tenuous establishment of democracy, and the horrific circumstances of East Timor's independence - have disturbed Australia's security situation more seriously than anything since the 1960s, when Australia was at war (albeit covertly) with Indonesia in Borneo and had a task in Vietnam. The rate of technological change is also unprecedented, especially in the area of information technology (IT) and its manifold applications, promising a revolution in military affairs (RMA), some aspects of which are very attractive for Australian defence planning.

At the same time, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) faces the imminent prospect of 'block obsolescence' - when major platforms such as the F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter aircraft, the F-ill strike fighters, the P-3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft, and all of the navy's surface combatants, will need to be replaced (or their tasks foregone).

Addressing these issues will require the development of a sound appreciation of Australia's security environment, and of clear and coherent strategic guidance for defence force planning. The purpose of this volume is to assist and inform these processes.