Defence Minister Richard Marles has warned that the situation in the Indo-Pacific has become “far too precarious” to depend on the United States as Australia’s security guarantor.
Australia’s alliance with the United States has been central to the country’s view of the world and national security since World War II.
“The reality is that a tougher environment will require a more hardnosed Australian approach to the defence of our interests: the ability to project power to shape outcomes and deter threats,” he said.
“We must marshal and integrate all arms of national power to achieve Australia’s strategic objectives.
“Gone are the days of simply paying the entry price to obtain our security guarantee from our security guarantor.”
“The world and our region is far too precarious for that. We will have to be willing—and capable—to act on our own terms, when we have to,” Marles said.
Marles referred to observations by two previous strategic reviews: the 1987 White Paper that said any military threat to Australia would take at least 10 years to emerge, and the 2020 Defence Strategic Update that found, for the first time, the country was sitting in that 10-year window.
“But the huge question this has left hanging is; what on earth do we do now?” he said.
Marles, who is also the deputy prime minister, said the Albanese government’s approach to regional stability included the willingness to stabilise relations with Beijing.
However, the government has also reiterated that a willingness to cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party does not include compromising on Australian values.
The speech was given prior to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
‘Defence Personnel Crisis’
While Marles said Australia’s military capabilities would not be able to meet those of major powers, he highlighted that it was not even able to reach its current full potential.The ADF is experiencing the greatest difficulties in recruitment and retaining its workforce in decades.
The defence minister revealed the ADF was currently almost 3,000 people below its allocated force strength, while the Department of Defence was over 1,000 below its budgeted size.
“In part, the defence establishment is simply experiencing the demand for labour which is being felt right around the country,” Marles said.
“But it also has to do with ensuring that Defence’s recruitment improves, to reflect the way young Australians approach their careers and within that context, to make the Defence offering competitive.
“Because right now, we have a defence personnel crisis.”
Australia’s defence force requires not only more soldiers but also more people in intelligence, space and cyber, and advanced networking.
The previous government also recognised this issue and announced the largest expansion of the defence force in 40 years.The planned build-up was expected to increase personnel numbers by 30 percent, from the current active force of 59,095 to 80,000 by 2040.
Earlier in November, former Coalition Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for school leavers to undertake a period of either compulsory military or voluntary service to improve social cohesion in the country.
“We constantly talk about rights,” Abbott told the Institute of Public Affairs Australia Future podcast.
“We constantly talk about what we’re going to do for people. Yes, we have rights, and the government has certain obligations to us, which it should do. It’s best to discharge, but this is a two-way street.
“It’s about giving as well as receiving, and I think we do have to talk more about what we can give back to our country.”
