History As Policy Framing the Debate on the Future of Australia’S Defence Policy
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HISTORY AS POLICY FRAMING THE DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA’s deFENCE POLICY HISTORY AS POLICY FRAMING THE DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA’s deFENCE POLICY Edited by Ron Huisken and Meredith Thatcher 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/hap_citation.html National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: History as policy : framing the debate on the future of Australia’s defence policy / editors, Ron Huisken, Meredith Thatcher. Publisher: Canberra, A.C.T. : ANU E Press, 2007. ISBN: 9781921313554 (pbk.) 9781921313561 (online) Series: Canberra papers on strategy and defence ; no. 167 Subjects: Australia–Military policy. Australia–Military policy–History. Australia–National security. Australia–Foreign relations. Australia–Defenses. Australia–Strategic aspects. Other Authors: Huisken, R. H. (Ronald Herman), 1946- Thatcher, Meredith Christine, 1966- Australian National University. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. Dewey Number: 355.03350994 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 This edition © 2007 ANU E Press Contents The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre’s 40th anniversary seminar series vii Contributors ix Acronyms and Abbreviations xv Introduction 1 Self-Reliant Defence: The First Cut 1. The Self-Reliant Defence of Australia: The History of an Idea, Paul Dibb 11 Global Issues 2. Global Change and Strategic Priorities, Coral Bell 29 3. Restoring Utility to Armed Force in the 21st Century, Robert O’Neill 49 4. The Rise of China: History as Policy, Wang Gungwu 61 5. Whither the United States and Unipolarity?, Ron Huisken 67 Regional Issues 6. The ‘Arc of Instability’: The History of an Idea, Graeme Dobell 85 7. Jihadism and ‘The Battle of Ideas’ in Indonesia: Critiquing Australian Counterterrorism, Greg Fealy 105 8. Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacic Region, Brendan Taylor 117 Australian Strategic and Defence Issues 9. The Challenge of Coherence: Strategic Guidance, Capability, and Budgets, Mark Thomson 131 10. The Higher Command Structure for Joint ADF Operations, David Horner 143 11. Four Decades of the Defence of Australia: Reections on Australian Defence Policy over the Past 40 Years, Hugh White 163 Index 189 v The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre’s 40th anniversary seminar series The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre is a research centre within the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies in the College of Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University in Canberra, the country's capital. In the second half of 2006, the Centre marked the fortieth anniversary of its founding in 1966 with a series of three seminars (and a dinner) under the theme of History as Policy. Held on 8 August 2006 at the Boat House by the Lake in Canberra (<http://www.boathousebythelake.com.au/>), the dinner was addressed by Professor Wang Gungwu, who gave a masterly sketch of the strategic implications of the rise of China, drawing on his deep knowledge of China's history. Guests included the current Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, the then Secretary of Defence, Ric Smith, and other key figures from the policy world, the intelligence community, and the media. Also in attendance were colleagues from The Australian National University, including the Convenor of the College of Asia and the Pacific, Professor Robin Jeffrey. Boeing Holdings Australia Ltd continued a long tradition of support to the Centre by generously sponsoring the seminar series and the dinner (which was attended by Paul Gargette, its Vice President of Operations and Business Integration). The three anniversary seminars were held on 15 August, 14 September and 10 October 2007 at University House on the grounds of The Australian National University (<http://www.anu.edu.au/unihouse/>). Speakers at the first seminar on Global Strategic Issues were Robert O'Neill (`Changing concepts of the nature of security and the role of armed force'), Hugh White (`Predictions and policy'), Coral Bell (`The evolution of the international system'), and Ron Huisken (`Whither the United States?'). Speakers at the second seminar on Regional Security Issues were Alan Dupont (`Transnational security issues'), Graeme Dobell (`The arc of instability'), Greg Fealy (`Western counterterrorism in Southeast Asia: Is the `war of ideas' a fallacy?'), and Brendan Taylor (`Security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region'). Speakers at the final seminar on Australia Strategic and Defence Issues were Paul Dibb (`The Defence of Australia: the history of an idea'), Mark Thomson (`The challenge of coherence: Strategic guidance, force structure and budgets'), David Horner (`The higher command structure for joint ADF operations'), and Hugh White (`Summing Up: Seeing the future in the past'). vii History as Policy The papers were of a high standard and prompted much discussion. They provided a stimulating opportunity to reflect on the contribution which the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre has madeÐto The Australian National University, to Canberra's strategic policy community, to the national debate, and to the wider study of strategic issuesÐand to foreshadow some of the work to be done in the years ahead. *** In its study of (and work on) strategic issues, the Centre is fortunate to have thriving doctoral and masters programs, the latter currently under the excellent direction of Dr Robert Ayson. (Details of the Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence (GSSD) program can be viewed at <http://rspas.anu.edu.au/gssd/>.) Graduates from both programs have gone on to forge successful careers either within or beyond academic circles. The substantial volume of high-quality work undertaken within the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre would have proved impossible without the dedication of the Centre's academic and support staff, Visiting Fellows, and other researchers and guests who have graced its corridors over the past forty years. Its continued success has also been due to the assistance of numerous colleagues within the ANU academic community. This volume forms part of the Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence collection. Visit the Centre's website at <http://rspas.anu.edu.au/sdsc/> for further details about the Centre's history, staff, and location, and also about its output, including analysis and research items, seminar and academic programs, and its extensive publications collection. viii Contributors Coral Bell is a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, The Australian National University. She has held numerous postings during her long and distinguished career, including within the Diplomatic Service and as Professor of International Politics at the University of Sussex. She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2005. Her research interests are mainly in crisis management and the interaction of strategic, economic and diplomatic factors in international politics, especially as they affect US and Australian foreign policies. Her articles have appeared in a number of leading international journals, such as Foreign Affairs, The National Interest and The American Interest. Recent publications have included Living with Giants: Finding Australia's place in a more complex world, and A World Out of Balance: American Power and International Politics in the Twenty-First Century. She also contributed `The International System and Changing Strategic Norms' in (eds) R. Ayson and D. Ball, Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific. Her next paper (to be published in early 2008 by the Lowy Institute for International Policy) is The End of the Vasco da Gama Era: The next landscape of world politics. Paul Dibb is Emeritus Professor and Chairman of the Board at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, The Australian National University. He was formerly a Deputy Secretary of Defence, and Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence Organisation. His research interests are Australian defence policy, regional security, and alliance relationships, and his publications reflect these interests. They include The Soviet Union: The Incomplete Superpower; Towards a