Defence Policy-Making a Close-Up View, 1950-1980
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DEFENCE POLICY-MAKING A Close-Up View, 1950-1980 A PERSONAL MEMOIR DEFENCE POLICY-MAKING A Close-Up View, 1950-1980 A PERSONAL MEMOIR Sir Arthur Tange (edited by Peter Edwards) Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/dpm_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Tange, Arthur, Sir, 1914-2001. Title: Defence policy-making : a close-up view, 1950-1980 / Sir Arthur Tange ; editor: Peter Edwards. ISBN: 9781921313851 (pbk.) 9781921313868 (PDF) Series: Canberra papers on strategy and defence ; 169 Subjects: Tange, Arthur, Sir, 1914-2001. Australia. Dept. of Defence--Officials and employees--Biography. Civil service--Australia--Biography. National security--Australia--History. Australia--Military policy--History. Other Authors/Contributors: Edwards, P. G. (Peter Geoffrey), 1945- Dewey Number: 355.6092 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. The Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence series is a collection of publications arising principally from research undertaken at the SDSC. Canberra Papers have been peer reviewed since 2006. All Canberra Papers are available for sale: visit the SDSC website at <http://rspas. anu.edu.au/sdsc/canberra_papers.php> for abstracts and prices. Electronic copies (in pdf format) of most SDSC Working Papers published since 2002 may be downloaded for free from the SDSC website at <http://rspas.anu.edu.au/sdsc/working_papers.php>. The entire Working Papers series is also available on a ‘print on demand’ basis. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Publications Program Advisory Review Panel: Emeritus Professor Paul Dibb; Professor Desmond Ball; Professor David Horner; Professor Hugh White; Professor William Tow; Professor Anthony Milner; Professor Virginia Hooker; Dr Coral Bell; Dr Pauline Kerr Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Publications Program Editorial Board: Professor Hugh White; Dr Brendan Taylor; Dr Christian Enemark; Miss Meredith Thatcher (series editor) Cover design by Teresa Prowse Printed by University Printing Services, ANU © Commonwealth of Australia 2008 Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 all other rights are reserved. Contents Preface .................................................................................................... vii Arthur Tange (1914±2001) ............................................................... viii Editorial note ..................................................................................... x Acknowledgements ........................................................................... xi About the Editor ..................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1. The Road to Russell ................................................................ 1 External Affairs 1945 ......................................................................... 1 International Security Issues: 1950 and beyond ................................... 3 Defence Management in the 1950s: A view from Canberra .................... 7 External Affairs and Defence cooperation .......................................... 10 The grip of the past in the strategic outlook ....................................... 11 America's definition of the ANZUS obligation .................................... 12 Interlude in India ............................................................................. 15 After India: Where to move? ............................................................. 17 The Defence Department appointment ............................................... 19 Defence Minister Fraser: His strategic outlook ................................... 20 The scope of the Defence Group empire ............................................. 24 Five Defence Group Ministries: Previous unsuccessful reforms ........... 24 Managing the Department with limited powers .................................. 27 Fraser's initiativesÐand conflicts with Gorton .................................. 29 Gorton the Defence Minister ............................................................. 34 Fairbairn: Minister for Defence 1971 ................................................. 36 The Department's 1972 `Defence Review': New ideas ......................... 40 Final months of McMahon's Coalition Government ............................ 45 Chapter 2. Labor in Office ...................................................................... 49 Labor's policies ................................................................................ 49 Consultations and plans for merging five Departments ....................... 52 Strategy for making the changes ....................................................... 54 Abolition of the Service Boards: Reasons ........................................... 56 Direct discussionÐThe Secretary and four Service Chiefs: Conclusions reached ............................................................................................ 57 Civilians and Service Officers: Their relative authority ....................... 60 Ministerial acceptance of the Recommendations ................................. 62 Members of Parliament and others: Reactions in Parliament and elsewhereÐextent of command power .............................................. 63 Some objectives not achieved ............................................................ 65 Interim arrangementsÐchanges needed in the Department ................ 67 Managing the DepartmentÐThe 1973 political environment .............. 68 Disclosure of the American presenceÐConflict with Labor Left .......... 69 The Joint US±Australian Defence Facilities ........................................ 71 v Defence Policy-Making Limited disclosure on Pine Gap and Nurrungar .................................. 74 Labor’s problem with the North West Cape Naval Communications Station ............................................................................................. 76 The Lloyd aair—Barnard’s rebuke of Tange ..................................... 77 Redening the threat basis for Defence planning ............................... 79 Barnard’s negotiations with Washington ............................................ 83 Other decisions for Barnard .............................................................. 85 New problems for the Defence Department under Labor ..................... 86 Reshaping the force structure under Barnard ..................................... 88 The Darwin cyclone ......................................................................... 90 A retrospect on Barnard .................................................................... 91 Whitlam’s Royal Commission: Enquiry into Intelligence Services ........ 92 Reections looking back: Whitlam and the Central Intelligence Agency ............................................................................................ 94 The 1975 changes: A new Minister, Chiefs of Sta and ‘the Dismissal’ ......................................................................................... 96 Chapter 3. The Early Fraser Ministry ..................................................... 99 James Killen, Minister for Defence ..................................................... 99 Problems to overcome in the new system ......................................... 100 Public perceptions in the politics of Defence .................................... 102 Diering views on our strategic interests ......................................... 103 President Carter and the Indian Ocean ............................................. 105 Ination: Its consequences for Defence in the 1970s ......................... 106 Dierences with the Royal Commission on Intelligence ..................... 108 Experiences serving Malcolm Fraser ................................................ 112 A refuge in the mountains ............................................................... 115 The Defence Science Laboratories: Management ............................... 117 Planning the Defence Force Academy: Obstacles ............................... 119 Using soldiers in support of police ................................................... 122 Final months in the Department ...................................................... 124 The gap between the strategic guidance and Defence preparations ................................................................................... 124 Personnel policies and practices in the Services ................................ 126 Defamatory media fabrications ........................................................ 127 Post retirement experiences ............................................................. 129 On serving Ministers ...................................................................... 130 Reections on a personal journey .................................................... 138 Bibliography ........................................................................................... 141 Index ..................................................................................................... 143 vi Preface Sir Arthur Tange was perhaps the most powerful Secretary of the Australian Defence Department and one of the most powerful of the great `mandarins'