Australia’s Defence Policy at the Beginning of the XXI Century

Abstract

The article examines the defence policy of the Australian government at the beginning of the XXI century. Australia’s defence white papers of 2000, 2009, 2013, and 2016 are analyzed for that purpose. It has been established that during this period, Australia’s defense policy was characterized by consistency and clearly defined strategic interests and objectives. Factors that determined the development of Australia’s security environment, strategic objectives of the Australian Defence Forces, and directions for strengthening Australia’s defence capabilities are considered. It is shown that, in the view of the Australian government, Australia’s security and prosperity primarily depend on the rules-based global order. Such a global order is based on the overall architecture of international governance that has developed since the end of World War II. This governance framework includes the United Nations, international laws and conventions, and regional security architectures. At the same time, the framework of the rules-based global order is under pressure and has shown signs of fragility. The balance of military and economic power between countries is changing, and some countries are willing to challenge the rules of the global security architecture. Under such conditions, in addition to protecting Australia from military attack, the tasks of the Australian Defence Force are to make a practical military contribution to the maintenance of the rules-based global order in general and stability in the Indo-Pacific region in particular.

It found that a strong Australia-United States Alliance is at the core of Australia’s security and defence planning. Access to state-of-the-art technology and equipment from the United States of America is critical to sustaining the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force. It has been established that despite the Security Treaty between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America (ANZUS), the Australian government adheres to the principle of self-reliance in defence of Australia’s territory against military attack. It is proposed to take this approach as a basis for developing and implementing Ukraine’s defence policy.