CAPP Events: 2003

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Australia's Security Policy and the War on Terrorism

In March 2003, Australia released a new National Security document outlining Australia's response to global terrorism. This report represented a shift in Australia’s defense posture towards terrorism that has taken place in the past five years. On May 14, RAND’s Center for Asia Pacific Policy (CAPP) hosted a discussion, chaired by NSRD Vice President Jeff Isaacson, with visiting fellow Gina Kingston of Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO). Dr. Kingston discussed how Australia's force structure is changing to deal with future threats and how socio-political factors have influenced Australia's response to terrorism.

Kingston explained that until the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the threat of significant and systemic violence from non-state actors in Australia was perceived to be minimal, and countering terrorism was considered to be primarily the domain of the Australian police. However, concern about potential threats at the games prompted the government to review regulations and procedures for counter-terrorist operations. In order to facilitate cooperation between the Australian Defence Force and local police, Australia enacted permanent changes to its laws to redefine the military’s role and give it more power to quell domestic unrest. These revisions granted the military unprecedented authority to detain civilians and use force against them if necessary, control crowds, and seize possessions.

After the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001 and the deliberate targeting of Australian civilians in the October 2002 Bali bombing, Australia quickly took measures to upgrade its counter-terrorist capabilities. The most visible security enhancements were made in Australia’s airports. Like the United States, Australia beefed up its bomb and drug detection methods and altered certain procedures such as curb-side check-in and identification requirements. The legislature enacted sweeping anti-terrorist laws giving domestic intelligence agencies increased powers to spy on, detain and interrogate terrorist suspects, criminalizing support of terrorist organizations, and making it an offense to perpetuate hoaxes or make erroneous terrorist threats. Counter-terrorist efforts have also seeped into the government’s research and development agenda, and Kingston described some of the Defence Science and Technology Organization’s (DSTO) projects, such as sensors that detect the presence of bio- and chemical weapons and facial recognition software that Australia’s customs agency can use to identify potential terrorists.

According to Kingston, Australia’s security strategy has traditionally depended upon a tiered response, with the defense of Australia as the military’s core mission and securing its regional neighborhood as a secondary objective. Recently, however, some analysts and policymakers have argued that Australia should abandon the geographic or location-based model of defense of Australia as its guiding strategic doctrine and focus on expanding security operations beyond its own borders, in order to increase its global influence and mitigate threats. Kingston pointed out that increased global power projection is not without risks; for example, as Australia’s international operations have increased, popular support for such operations has declined. According to a poll that Kingston cited, 47% of the population objected to Australia’s participation in the U.S.-led war against Iraq, and only 45% expressed support for it.

Australia also risks over-committing its all-volunteer force, and details on what plans and programs must be cut to fund upgrades in the military’s counter-terrorism capabilities tend to be few and far between in the government’s plans.

Kingston argued that while Australia has responded well to the threat of terrorism, economic and resource constraints ultimately still need to be addressed. Australia is torn between defending its land and defending its core interests worldwide and must find a balanced approach.