Session 3: Soldiers and Diplomats Working Together

Mr Richard Sadleir

First Assistant Secretary, International Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

‘Well thank you, Lieutenant General Burr, Major General Bilton and distinguished guests. It’s a great honour to be here.

‘Let me first acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet—the Kaurna People—and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

‘It’s a testament to the inclusive character, leadership and worldview of Lieutenant General Burr, Chief of the Australian Army, that he has invited me to speak to you today. After all, it was the former British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, who said in the lead-up to the Paris Peace Conference: ‘diplomats were invented simply to waste time’.

‘Given today’s distinguished audience I hope I will not waste your time.

‘Let me turn now to a contested and complex strategic environment. As I know was discussed in your first session, powerful drivers of change are converging to create a contested and complex strategic environment. China and India have re-emerged as great powers. The post-Cold War lull in major power rivalry has ended. The international rules-based system is under strain. Nationalism and protectionism are on the rise. Transnational threats without borders—such as terrorism, cyber-attacks and people smuggling, just to name a few—have grown in scale, scope and impact. And while globalisation and technological change yield great opportunities for us all, they amplify security threats.

‘The Indo-Pacific region is one of the key theatres where these pressures are playing out. The future balance of power in the region will depend largely on the actions of the United States, China and major powers such as Japan and India, but also key countries such as Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Vietnam and Australia. Our alliance with the United States is central to Australia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific region. It’s a choice we make about how best to pursue our security interests. To support our objectives the government is broadening and deepening our alliance cooperation— including through the United States force posture initiatives. The force posture initiatives build on Australia’s existing defence relationship with the United States. Through these initiatives Australia and the United States gain new opportunities for combined training and improved interoperability. The initiatives also provide opportunities for engagement with regional partners and position both countries to respond better to regional crises and natural disasters.

‘The first component of the initiatives is the Marine Rotational Force— Darwin, under which US Marines rotate through Northern Australia, each rotation lasting six months. The rotation this year is the largest so far with 1 587 US Marines and their equipment. The marines participate in training activities alongside Australian Defence Force counterparts. By 2020—2 500 Marines are expected to rotate annually under the program.

‘Enhanced air cooperation is the second component. Activities under this element aim to strengthen bilateral collaboration and enhance interoperability through increased participation of US aircraft in a range of training activities and exercises with Australian Defence Force personnel. The on-the-ground force posture initiatives and their engagement of a wide range of regional partners answers those who doubt the United States’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific in this time of strategic transition.

‘The Australian Government’s Foreign Policy White Paper of 2017 provides the framework that charts a clear foreign policy course for Australia in this time of strategic change. It articulates a vision for the type of region we want. A neighbourhood in which adherence to rules delivers lasting peace, where the rights of all states are respected and where open markets facilitate the free flow of trade, capital and ideas.

‘Supporting this broad vision are five priorities:

‘First, promoting an open inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific region in which the rights of all states are respected.

‘Second, ensuring Australians remain safe, secure and free in the face of threats such as terrorism.

‘Third, delivering more opportunities for Australian businesses by keeping markets open and trade and investment flowing throughout the region.

‘Fourth, promoting and protecting the multilateral system and the international rules-based order.

‘Finally, stepping up support for a more resilient Pacific and Timor-Leste.

‘Importantly, these tasks complement the strategic defence interests contained in Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper: a secure, resilient Australia, with secure northern approaches and proximate lines of communication; a secure nearer region encompassing maritime South East Asia and the South Pacific; and a stable Indo-Pacific region and a rules- based order.

‘Soldiers and diplomats working together are pivotal to implementing the strategic intent set out in both of those papers. An example of this melding of soldiers and diplomats, and operationalising this philosophy, is our relationship with Singapore. Australia and Singapore have a strong and vibrant relationship reflected in our comprehensive strategic partnership. It covers all aspects of our relationship, including trade, defence, science and innovation, education, and the arts. In the defence domain, Australia and Singapore have a long history of constructive and productive engagement based on combined training and exercises, facilitation of Singaporean training in Australia, and shared membership with others of the Five Power Defence Arrangements and the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus. In 2016, Australia and Singapore agreed to enhance and expand training opportunities for Singapore Armed Forces personnel in Australia, signing a Memorandum of Understanding to cover this. This established the Australia- Singapore Military Training Initiative under which Singapore will invest up to $2.25 billion to upgrade Australian training areas and receive up to 18 weeks access for 14 000 Singapore Armed Forces personnel annually. Australia and Singapore have signed other MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) used to enhance cooperation, including on personnel exchanges, intelligence and information sharing in areas of mutual interest—notably counterterrorism and defence science and technology. This army-to-army and broader defence collaboration with Singapore adds depth and trust to this important partnership for Australia.

‘Civil-military collaboration with our regional partners occurs all too often in response to humanitarian crises. Disasters are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Indeed, since 2005, natural disasters have killed more than 700 000 people globally and left nearly 23 million homeless. The impacts have been greatest in the Indo-Pacific region. Of course, humanitarian crises undermine growth, reverse hard won development gains, increase poverty and can result in long-term instability. Australia is committed to helping partner governments manage crises responses. We work closely with local governments, donors, militaries, United Nations agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and non-government organisations to ensure Australia’s support is practical and tailored to meet urgent needs. And while we support humanitarian efforts globally, our focus remains firmly on the Pacific region.

‘Australia has a range of specialist capabilities to respond to humanitarian crises grouped under three categories.

‘First: deploying Australian personnel to provide humanitarian expertise.

‘Second: providing life-saving humanitarian relief supplies. And third: establishing partnerships with local and international humanitarian organizations to deliver support within our humanitarian priorities.

‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is responsible for leading the Australian Government’s response to international humanitarian crises. An absolutely key partner is the Australian Defence Force; its personnel, logistical expertise, air and sea lift capability, security support and global and regional international relationships are pivotal enablers.

‘I’ll offer three recent examples.

‘First, Tropical Cyclone Gita, as you know, made landfall in Tonga on 12 February this year causing severe damage to the main island of Tongatapu—over 800 homes were destroyed and another 4 000 damaged. Over 4,500 people were evacuated and the cyclone caused $164 million worth of damage, almost 40% of Tonga’s GDP. Within 24 hours of the cyclone hitting, the first Australian C-17 plane landed on Tongatapu with humanitarian supplies. This included: food, kitchen kits, hygiene kits, shelter kits, bed nets, sleeping mats and water purification kits. Australian supplies assisted at least 100 000 people. 30 ADF personnel and civilian personnel were deployed to assist, and crisis specialists from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade worked alongside the government of Tonga, HMAF (His Majesty’s Armed Forces—Tonga) and international partners to coordinate recovery efforts. A $10.5 million package of assistance supports Tonga’s longer-term recovery and reconstruction efforts. We are focused on helping the Tongan government coordinate the recovery effort, rebuild schools, water supply and sewage and reinvigorate the private sector.

‘Moving to Papua New Guinea.

‘Against the backdrop of that excellent presentation we have just heard, in February this year a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the PNG highlands, affecting about 270 000 people. The remoteness of the affected community has made relief efforts challenging; many of the communities were accessible only by helicopter. The Australian Defence Force played a significant role working with the PNG Defence Force and the local authorities in their response activities. A C-130 transport plane, three Chinook helicopters and 110 Australian Defence Force personnel were deployed, helping transport medical and humanitarian supplies to warehouses in the Southern and Western Highlands and working with humanitarian specialists from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to distribute tents, bed nets, community tents, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, blankets, solar lights and water containers to affected areas. In total, Australia provided a $5 million assistance package to support the PNG government’s own relief efforts.

‘Another example, on 23 July the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy Dam in southern Laos collapsed following sustained monsoon rains. On 25 July, the Lao Government requested international assistance. According to the Lao foreign minister it was the biggest natural disaster in the country’s history, affecting about 16 000 people. The disaster may have also dislodged unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War era, potentially depositing it in areas previously declared free and safe. The Foreign Affairs and Defence Departments worked closely to airlift blankets, bed nets, sleeping mats, tarpaulins, tents and solar lights. The flights also transported supplies for the Red Cross and ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance, helping to support our partners and regional response mechanisms. In total, a $3 million package of ongoing assistance is helping to ensure affected people have access to safe water, hygiene and shelter. Part of this package will address the unexploded ordnance issue.

‘In each case, Australia’s response has been timely, consultative and thorough, helping to underscore our partnerships with Tonga and Papua New Guinea and building on our long and constructive diplomatic relationships with the Lao PDR (People’s Democratic Republic).

‘Turning to building capacity at home and abroad. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief is just one area where foreign ministries and militaries work together closely. Capacity building at home and abroad is another.

‘For example, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade engages with the Australian Defence Force on a wide range of exercises to enhance our mutual learning and exposure to the roles, functions, structure, culture and processes of our respective organisations and our operating environments. This increases the ability of foreign ministry staff to engage with the ADF and, where appropriate, shape and influence military planning and the development of operational plans. It also enhances the military’s understanding of the political, diplomatic and humanitarian considerations relevant to the very complex operating environments in which all of your militaries operate. More broadly, through whole-of-government crisis management processes, including what we know as the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework, the structures and processes by which we respond to crises, there’s an opportunity to test civil-military- police coordination mechanisms with government military and non- government partnerships partners.

‘Overseas we work closely with partners to enhance national and regional capabilities.

‘Australia has an abiding interest in a stable, secure and prosperous Pacific and these efforts are directed to that goal.

‘Another example of the work in this area is Australia’s work collaborating with Fiji to develop the Black Rock Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Camp into a regional hub for police and peacekeeping training, and pre-deployment preparation. The facility will deliver enhanced capability development and stronger interoperability between the Australian Defence Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. It builds on our long-standing defence cooperation programme focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, peacekeeping and training. As a regional peacekeeping, training and humanitarian and disaster relief hub, Black Rock will support implementation of the new Biketawa Plus regional security declaration once it’s adopted by PIF (Pacific Island Forum) leaders. Australia’s support for Black Rock builds on extensive and long-standing defence and police cooperation programs in the region.

‘To help countries address shared security challenges, we are deepening the security corporation in other ways.

‘We announced in the Foreign Policy White Paper that Australia and other Pacific countries would collaborate to establish an Australian Pacific Security College. The college will improve regional security cooperation and strengthen the capacity of the Pacific to respond to security threats. Initially, it will not have one physical home but rather, a range of Pacific nations will host and deliver its core functions.

‘These core functions include:

• accredited training for senior executives and middle managers as part of a sort of broader set of professional development opportunities
   
• support for national and regional policy development on transnational crime, climate change, natural disasters, pandemics and cyber- crimes
   
• importantly, an active alumni network of Pacific security decision- makers to help strengthen regional cooperation and connections.

‘At the same time we’ll step up our work with Pacific Island partners to better share and analyse information on security issues. In April this year, the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency and Australia jointly hosted a workshop in Honiara. Participants considered broadening information sharing from the maritime to other security domains and agreed to advance work on aligning data standards and linking security protocols.

‘Well, that’s a sample of a range of very significant activities undertaken or underway.

‘In conclusion, picking up where I began, not since the early years of the Cold War has the strategic environment been as complex and contested as it is today. To ensure the Indo-Pacific evolves to the benefit of all, we champion a stable rules-based order that supports the peaceful resolution of disputes; facilitates free and open trade; and enables access to the global commons. We use an integrated approach spanning the three Ds: diplomacy, development and defence. Each element is mutually reinforcing with the sum greater than the parts. I like to think of it as a form of interoperability with different contributors engaging safely and effectively in combined operations. It’s a useful analogy for the way in which soldiers and diplomats work together, drawing on our comparative advantages to create a force multiplier, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder as partners for peace, security and prosperity.

‘Thank you.’

Figure 24. Members of Departement of Foreign Affairs and Trade Crisis Response Team (DFAT CRT) man a casualty evacuation centre where Australian Army personnel transport evacuees to depart on Royal Australian Air Force aircraft or Royal Australian Navy vessels. This scenario is the basis for this joint DFAT/ADF exercise in northern Queensland. (Image:DoD)

Figure 25. A Police Constable from New Zealand Police speaks with an Australian Army corporal during a routine night patrol at Point Cruz, Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Soldiers of Combined Task Force 635 work with Participating Police Force officers from New Zealand and Samoa supporting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force as part of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), 2010. (Image: DoD)