U.S. to expand military presence in Australia to counter China

[Kunal Biswas]

U.S. to expand military presence in Australia to counter China

http://www.japantoday.com/category/w...-counter-china

SAN FRANCISCO —
An emerging defense agreement would let the U.S. expand its military presence in Australia as the Obama administration and its allies maneuver to counter an increasingly assertive China.
It would include positioning U.S. equipment in Australia, increasing access to bases and conducting more joint exercises and training.


The arrangement, somewhat controversial in Australia, is expected to be a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's visit to the country in November.


Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said the broader cooperation will mean "more ships in, ships out; more planes in, planes out; more troops in, troops out."


The U.S. and Australia expect to finalize the plan later this year, according to a senior defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the arrangement was not complete.


Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Thursday with Australian defense chief Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd for talks on the basing arrangement, military cooperation in the Pacific region and other issues.


Afterward, Smith said the goal of the deeper defense arrangement is to "make very clear to those who would threaten us that we are going to stick together." He did not mention China specifically, although it poses the most potent military force that could oppose the U.S. and Australia in the Pacific.


U.S. officials deny that closer U.S. cooperation with Australian and Southeast Asian nations is meant as a challenge to China, which claims dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the U.S. considers international waters. China also has alarmed smaller Asian neighbors by reigniting old territorial disputes.


The U.S. claims a national security interest in protecting crucial international shipping lanes; China calls it meddling. Beijing rebuffed a proposal that Clinton made last week to host talks between China and Japan over one such dispute.
Afghanistan was also a major topic, given that Australia is the largest contributor of troops to the war effort outside NATO countries, as was the unrest in the Middle East.


U.S. officials said they are not looking to establish any American bases in Australia, but want increased military access and cooperation that will allow the U.S. to broaden its posture in the region.


The shared base idea is part of U.S. efforts to diversify its Asian military stance, which long has focused on northern Asia. Australian bases would place U.S. forces or assets such as ships and planes much closer to potential natural disasters or conflicts in the Southern Hemisphere.


Separately, U.S. and Australian officials have decided to include cooperation on cybersecurity as part of their defense treaty. It's the first time that the Obama administration has carved out that kind of partnership with a country outside NATO.


The agreement is partly in response to the cyberthreat emanating from the Pacific region, especially China and North Korea.The U.S. and Australia have conducted more than a dozen joint exercises in 2010 and 2011, including the massive Talisman Sabre drill that involves 15,000 U.S. troops, U.S. officials said.


U.S. foreign military sales with Australia were more than $3.7 billion this year, as of early July. They include the purchase of C-17 cargo aircraft, Joint Strike Fighters, as well as other combat and maritime aircraft.

The last gaps are closing down..

 

[LETHALFORCE]

AUSMIN puts icing on the alliance cake

AUSMIN puts icing on the alliance cake

The big annual AUSMIN meeting, where Australia's defence and foreign ministers get together with their US counterparts, has just concluded in San Francisco. This year's talks marked the 60th anniversary of the Australia-US alliance, and the communiqué is rich birthday fare.

The document rewards close reading. Tightened cooperation on cyber security is being sold by both governments as the big deliverable, since the anticipated breakthroughs on US access or basing are still being negotiated. But that is just the icing. As with last year's communique, this cake has many layers. Here's a quick taste.



Reaffirmation of the alliance

Goes without saying, one might think. But the language this year is exceptionally strong: 'an anchor of stability', 'shared values', 'proud and deep relationship', a 'storied tradition' (nice turn of phrase), 'adapting and innovating to face the challenges of the 21st century'. Whatever the dire prognostications of one school of commentary, the alliance is stronger than ever – and this is at least as much what Australia wants as what America needs.

China

We all know that very much of this is about China. But the language on China is sensible and balanced. There is a renewal of messages about seeking partnership, emphasising common interests and the need for continuous communication between militaries to prevent misunderstanding and crisis – a widely-repeated refrain this year.

Connecting the spokes to include South Korea and India

The document is a resounding endorsement of the emerging web of security links between US allies and partners. The US-Australia-Japan trilateral dialogue is still touted as the most important of these. But there is newly-forthright support for what would seem to be four-way 'training and integration' among the US, Australia, Japan and South Korea to deal with dangers and provocations posed by North Korea.

And note the tantalising language on relations among Australia, the US and India: 'Identify areas of potential cooperation between the United States, Australia and India, including maritime security, disaster risk management and regional architecture'. Could this be the first hint of new trilateral process among the three key democratic players in the Indian Ocean? My chapter in this year's just-released Strategic Asia volume has some thoughts on this score.

Missile defence

As with the 2010 communique, the odd and cautious language is code for: 'It's a bit frustrating — the Australian defence establishment is really interested in connecting with the missile defence architecture of the US and its allies, but resistance within parts of the Labor Party remains a problem'.

South China Sea

These are firm messages. The two countries not only declare their national interest in freedom of navigation in these contested waters, they also say that they 'oppose the use of coercion or force to advance the claims of any party or interfere with legitimate economic activity'. Not 'condemn', 'reject' or 'deplore', but 'oppose'. Opposing is an active posture. It means that one day words might need to be translated into action.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

US to build ties with India in East Asia Summit

US to build ties with India in East Asia Summit


Washington: Aiming to build ties with emerging countries like India and Indonesia, President Barack Obama will attend the East Asia Summit in November, an Obama administration official said.

"There are many aspects of our strategy of greater commitment to institutions like the East Asia Summit, President Obama will make his first appearance as US President in November, building ties with emerging states like India and Indonesia, obviously dealing with the extraordinarily complex set of relationships with a country like China," a senior State Department official said.

"But at the top of the list is our relationship with our partners and our allies. We have five treaty allies in Asia – Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand," the official told reporters travelling with the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enroute to San Francisco to attend the US-Australian Ministerial, better known as the AUSMIN followed by the APEC Women And The Economy summit.

He said, over the last seven years, there was already a very strong relationship between Australia and the US, it has become even stronger.

"We are working on a variety of things that we'll be discussing over the next couple of days. We are going to talk directly about how US and Australian forces can operate closely together, can work together in a variety of ways, and to see how Australia can play a role in what is termed the Global Posture Review," the official said. Referring to the relationship between the US and Australia, the official said more recently, their discussions and focus of cooperation has got much further afield.

"We worked very closely on China with Prime Minister Rudd and, who now is Foreign Minister, is probably more than any other leader has just a remarkable command of China, has lectured in Chinese universities in Chinese, and has provided us his expert advice and commentary about how to proceed," he said.

"We have worked with Australia on architecture and on trade. Architects in Australia have given us enormously good advice about how to position ourselves in this critical period on Asia. And as importantly, we have worked in what we might call out-of-area pursuits," he said.

"Australia's been enormously helpful in Afghanistan and in efforts on Pakistan. And more recently, Foreign Minister Rudd has been deeply engaged in a variety of efforts associated with supporting the Arab Spring both through bringing together other likeminded nations and also coordinating closely with the US," the official said.

 

[EagleOne]

see this lines from theaustralian

"At the grand Ausmin level, the official communique called for deeper strategic ties between Australia, the US and India, welcomed India's engagement in East Asia and called for greater co-operation with India in providing for maritime security."

Foreign minister Rudd said: "The critical region for our future now extends to include the Indian Ocean as well. It is in the interests of both the US and Australia for India to play the role of a major international power. India is increasingly looking east with interest, both for strategic and economic reasons, and because of long-standing cultural connections."

He drew the necessary distinctions between China and India, but in assessing the new economic ascendancy of Asia, he said: "It goes without saying that China and India are the main drivers of the new ascendancy."

So the message is clear. India is shaping up to be of similar consequence to China, though from both a US and Australian view vastly more benign. It is up to Washington and Canberra to maximise their leverage and connections with India.

New Australia-U.S. push deals India in to Pacific | The Australian