2RHPZ
06-22-2004, 04:50 AM
US warns against 'fortress Australia'
By John Kerin
June 22, 2004
THE US and Australia could lose the war on terror if they adopted a fortress mentality and failed to go after the terrorists in their global strongholds, US ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer warned yesterday.
Mr Schieffer's backing for the use of expeditionary forces to fight terrorism comes as a bipartisan parliamentary committee released a report recommending Australia modernise the defence doctrine, which has served it for the past 20 years to include tackling terrorism and weapons of mass destruction around the globe.
In a speech that could inflame a row between the Bush administration and Labor over the future of the alliance, Mr Schieffer said that terrorism was the "bane of our time" and warned that "countries could not limit their efforts to the region or their neighbourhoods".
"This is not a time for us to pull apart . . . but a time for us to pull together. The stakes are too high, the risks too great for us to be comfortable in going our separate ways," Mr Schieffer told a joint Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade committee hearing in Canberra.
"In this new world our enemies will not always wear uniforms or fly national flags.
"We may see them crossing the street before we realise they have crossed our borders.
"They plan their attacks in one country, prepare for their execution in another and carry them out wherever the innocent may gather."
Mr Schieffer's comments follow John Howard on Friday night accusing Mark Latham of increasing the risk of a terrorist attack with his promise to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq by Christmas.
Senior members of the Bush administration have also attacked Mr Latham's stance, suggesting it poses a threat to the future of the 53-year-old ANZUS alliance.
The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade recommends the Government draft a new defence white paper in 2005-06, updating the doctrine of defending Australia and the immediate region to include tackling global terrorism and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.
"Australia's interests are not just limited to our territory but stretch throughout the region and globally," the report says.
The subcommittee looking at maritime strategy is chaired by former National Party veterans affairs minister Bruce Scott and includes former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley. "What the committee found is that since 9/11 the world has changed," Mr Scott said last night.
"Terrorists know no boundaries as we saw in 9/11 attacks on New York or the attacks in Bali in 2002 ... so we've got to have defence of Australia, but also a strategy that includes acquisitions and capabilities to operate globally in areas outside our immediate territorial interests."
The report also says the Government should consider buying a naval version of the F-35 joint strike fighter as part of the $16 billion project.
While Australia doesn't have aircraft carriers, it is believed the short takeoff and landing version of the aircraft could be carried by one of the new generation of amphibious ships due next decade. However, if delays and cost overruns continue on the JSF beyond 2006 it suggests the Government should consider extending the life of the existing F111s and F/A-18s or purchasing an interim fighter as a stopgap.
By John Kerin
June 22, 2004
THE US and Australia could lose the war on terror if they adopted a fortress mentality and failed to go after the terrorists in their global strongholds, US ambassador to Australia Tom Schieffer warned yesterday.
Mr Schieffer's backing for the use of expeditionary forces to fight terrorism comes as a bipartisan parliamentary committee released a report recommending Australia modernise the defence doctrine, which has served it for the past 20 years to include tackling terrorism and weapons of mass destruction around the globe.
In a speech that could inflame a row between the Bush administration and Labor over the future of the alliance, Mr Schieffer said that terrorism was the "bane of our time" and warned that "countries could not limit their efforts to the region or their neighbourhoods".
"This is not a time for us to pull apart . . . but a time for us to pull together. The stakes are too high, the risks too great for us to be comfortable in going our separate ways," Mr Schieffer told a joint Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade committee hearing in Canberra.
"In this new world our enemies will not always wear uniforms or fly national flags.
"We may see them crossing the street before we realise they have crossed our borders.
"They plan their attacks in one country, prepare for their execution in another and carry them out wherever the innocent may gather."
Mr Schieffer's comments follow John Howard on Friday night accusing Mark Latham of increasing the risk of a terrorist attack with his promise to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq by Christmas.
Senior members of the Bush administration have also attacked Mr Latham's stance, suggesting it poses a threat to the future of the 53-year-old ANZUS alliance.
The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade recommends the Government draft a new defence white paper in 2005-06, updating the doctrine of defending Australia and the immediate region to include tackling global terrorism and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.
"Australia's interests are not just limited to our territory but stretch throughout the region and globally," the report says.
The subcommittee looking at maritime strategy is chaired by former National Party veterans affairs minister Bruce Scott and includes former Labor defence minister Kim Beazley. "What the committee found is that since 9/11 the world has changed," Mr Scott said last night.
"Terrorists know no boundaries as we saw in 9/11 attacks on New York or the attacks in Bali in 2002 ... so we've got to have defence of Australia, but also a strategy that includes acquisitions and capabilities to operate globally in areas outside our immediate territorial interests."
The report also says the Government should consider buying a naval version of the F-35 joint strike fighter as part of the $16 billion project.
While Australia doesn't have aircraft carriers, it is believed the short takeoff and landing version of the aircraft could be carried by one of the new generation of amphibious ships due next decade. However, if delays and cost overruns continue on the JSF beyond 2006 it suggests the Government should consider extending the life of the existing F111s and F/A-18s or purchasing an interim fighter as a stopgap.