Quotes of Historical Relevance 
The scene in the Australian trenches, packed with wounded or dying, was unexampled in history of the AIF. In one night, and the hours preceding it, the 5th Division had lost 5,533 men, of whom 400 were prisoners … C.E.W. Bean, Anzacs to Amiens.
The Battle of Fromelles, France, from 19-21 July, 1916 was the first fought by Australians on the Western Front. The operation, a total failure, was described by the Australian War Memorial as ‘the worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire history’.
The real purpose of this Treaty is to present a concerted front of defence against aggressive Communism which presents the free world with immediate problems of security. We in Australia are very conscious of this; we realise that our fate is linked with the South-East Asian countries actually on the Asian mainland and all the countries not far away. And all our Australian defence policy is directed towards the dominant purpose of coping in the future with any eventuality that may unfortunately result. – External Affairs Minister R.G. Casey, Manila ( Philippines), 8 September, 1954. SEATO existed from 1954 until 1977. It was directed at military aggression in Korea and Indo-China, and subversion in Malaya and the Philippines. Its founding members were Australia, US, Britain, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. Pakistan withdrew in 1968 and France suspended financial support in 1975.
We have recognised the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. – Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Canberra, 22 December, 1972. Whitlam had cabled his Ambassador to France, Alan Renouf, and asked him to begin negotiations with the Chinese. Diplomatic relations with Taiwan ceased and the embassy was transferred from Taipei to Peking.
Editor’s Desk – Issue 49
Despite being slightly out of our intended order, the APSM presents Australia’s Ambassador to France, Mr. Ric Wells. Our subsequent interviews will be with Prime Minister John Howard and the US Ambassador to Australia, Mr. Jeffrey Bleich. Our timing though is always assisted by rapid world events.
France is emerging yet again, as a key Australian strategic partner and this is set to expand further with Australia’s participation in the G20 and recent acceptance as a non-permanent member in the United Nations Security Council. With the importance of the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean and Antarctica to both nations there is an existing cooperation and a framework for increased cooperation in defence and security, climate change, commercial relations, counter-terrorism, people-to-people investment, science, and defence material, among others.
To highlight the relationship, France is one of the largest global arms suppliers with a very large and sophisticated defence industry. Australia has bought 22 Tiger helicopters and contracted 46 NRH-90 helicopters from the French. Interestingly though, no French president has ever visited Australia. Prime Minister Gillard visited France in 2011 for the G20 meeting. The last bilateral Australian prime-ministerial visit was by the APSM’s next feature guest interview, Prime Minister John Howard. By the end of Australia’s two-year Security Council membership, there should be a deeper understanding of each other’s African and Middle Eastern interests and policies. In 2014, Australia will be hosting the G20 meeting, in which France is, naturally, a significant player.
It was pleasing to see the Indian Minister of Defence A. K. Antony and the Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith meet in Perth and Canberra recently, to discuss shared strategic and security interests, including maritime security and bilateral defence cooperation. The Indian Defence Minister accepted Minister Smith’s invitation for Indian naval ship participation in the International Fleet Review to be held in Sydney in October 2013.
The region’s Defence Ministry have all been very busy recently, with the International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue, a trilateral meeting between Australia, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, and United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, discussing strategic and regional defence issues. There was also an inaugural Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting with Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and Security, Xanana Gusmao and Indonesia’s Defence Minister Dr Purnomo Yusgiantoro. Amongst this was one of the oldest multilateral security forums in the region, the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) with Ministers from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. During the Dialogue, Australia held formal bilateral meetings with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Teo and the Singaporean Minister for Defence Ng, Republic of Korea National Defence Minister Kim, the Myanmar Deputy Defence Minister Aung Thaw and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Nguyen.
Amongst all these talks, one would trust that they all considered China, India, and Pakistan all adding 10 to 20 nuclear weapons to their arsenal last year even as the top four nuclear nations US, Russia, UK and France appear determined to retain their nuclear arsenals indefinitely. The Swedish arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has also warned that progress towards a global ban on cluster munitions stalled in 2012. The Institute that assesses the current state of international security, armaments and disarmament said 2012 was a “disappointing year” for attempts to enhance international controls on the use, production, trading and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
In the US, a taskforce has been established to conduct a 15-month study regarding drone use by the United States. The task force will bring together legal, national security, political and military experts, as well as representatives from the defence industry and civil society groups, to formulate nonpartisan policy recommendations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are increasingly relied upon as a key component of US foreign policy, national security and military strategy. Although the drone program has had successes, such as covert targeted killings of al-Qaida operatives, the program has sparked a debate centering on the ethical, legal, economic and strategic implications of the use of armed drones. US States, such as New York have also acted, with Democrat Senators introducing a bill that would bar police from tracking suspects with unmanned aircraft unless (a) they obtained a warrant in advance or (b) were dealing with an emergency, such as a kidnapping or terrorist attack.
As I’ve written previously, the use of UAVs in Australia and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific is rapidly forthcoming and maybe we shouldn’t rely on waiting on the outcomes of US Policy and start to consider our own frameworks. Robotics, UAVs and CCTV technology will continue to be held in high interest by the APSM – these are fascinating times indeed!
Stay tuned with us as we continue to explore, educate, entertain and most importantly, engage. I look forward to hearing from you and encourage you to connect with us and retain My Security Media as your personal professional library, willing to listen and accessible anytime, anywhere.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Cubbage CPP, RSecP, GAICD
APSM Executive Editor
NEXT ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS – 50th Issue Celebration!
- Feature interview with Australia’s 25th Prime Minister, John Howard
