Australia Considers Sending Warships to Counter China

Australia may help United States challenge the Chinese regime’s growing aggression.

Australia's warship HMAS Leeuwin sails during the 2013 International Fleet Review in Sydney on October 5, 2013. Australia is considering sending navy ships to help challenge the Chinese regime's claims in the South China Sea. Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Australia may send military aircraft and ships to help the United States challenge the Chinese regime’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. The military push is being recommended by Peter Jennings, chair of the Australian prime minister’s government’s advisory panel for its annual Defense “White Paper.”

The recommendations from Jennings mirror a wartime strategy with China, which were included in a secret chapter of Australia’s 2009 Defense “White Paper.” Details from the chapter were revealed in the 2012 book by Australian journalist David Uren, “The Kingdom and the Quarry: China, Australia, Fear and Greed.”

The secret chapter outlined the Chinese regime’s military strategy for the Western Pacific. It detailed a scenario where the Chinese regime could launch a pre-emptive military strike against the United States, Japan, and Australia. The attack would include, the book said, cyber and missile attacks to blind U.S. communication and surveillance systems, and would be followed by missile attacks on U.S. naval vessels and military bases.

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