MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10 December, 2022
- AUSMIN announcement to expand US militarisation not in Australia’s security interests
- IPAN People’s Inquiry Report calls for Australia to step back its joint war preparations with the United States
- Call for an immediate cessation to further American military expansion and a public inquiry into the implications of the US Force Posture Agreement for Australia’s security and sovereignty.
The Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), held this week in Washington DC, announced that the US will expand its military presence in Australia, including more rotations of US forces across all three military domains, air, land and maritime, further tying Australia to US preparations for conflict with China.
However, a landmark report (The IPAN People’s Inquiry) which gave ordinary people a chance to voice their concerns about the US alliance and Australian defence and foreign policy, found that many are concerned about increasing US militarisation making Australia an unnecessary target of America’s foes, and especially China. The AUSMIN announcement this week is at odds with the findings of the IPAN report.
The announcement continues the expansion of the US Force Posture Initiatives that first established a permanent rotational presence of US forces in Australia in 2012, formalised in 2014 by the 25-year Force Posture Agreement (FPA). The agreement not only includes a 2500-strong Marine force in Darwin but also grants:
- Unimpeded access to Australia’s airbases and related facilities for US jet fighters and bombers, as well as access to Australian ports for US ships and submarines
- Access to ‘agreed facilities’ for US forces and contactors to conduct training, transit, support and related military activities, including the deployment of forces and defence material as the parties may agree.
“Without any debate or public consultation, Australian leaders committed this country to becoming a major base of US military operations in the Indo-Pacific during a time of rising regional tensions. Since the FPA was first signed, Australia has bent over backwards to accommodate greater rotations of all types of US military forces, including multi-billion dollar defence facility upgrades to base more lethal US power-projection elements, such as the recent revelation of up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers,” stated IPAN Spokesperson, Dr Vince Scappatura.
The AUSMIN communique affirmed that the US will continue to distribute more forces to more locations across Australia, increase weapons stocks, and undertake further infrastructure development to sustain long-range US military operations. Further rotations of US bombers and fighters, and future rotations of US Navy and US Army capabilities were also committed.
In a novel but concerning development, the communique announced that Japan will be invited to increase its defence participation in the Force Posture Initiatives in Australia. This is part of a wider effort to foster a web of bilateral defence relationships among US regional allies to contain China.
“IPAN urges the Australian government to step back from these joint war preparations with the United States. A war with China would have disastrously unimaginable consequences for Australia and regional peace, security and prosperity. The huge expenditures envisaged for these war preparations must be reprioritised to meet the most serious threat to Australia, namely climate change, and to address urgent social needs including health, education, and affordable housing,” stated Dr Scappatura.
The IPAN People’s Inquiry Report, which dares to imagine citizens placed alongside national security elites at the centre of Australia’s defence and foreign policy decisions, provides a baseline for government to assess the efficacy of decisions and actions, and for applying reason, diplomacy and common sense to our alliance relationships and security interests.
The FPA can be terminated with one year’s notice, requiring US forces to leave Australia. The increasing militarisation of Australia since the Force Posture Initiatives were announced undermine our security interests and, in IPAN’s view, should be terminated.
“Australian leaders have a habit of treating Australians with contempt when it comes to the US alliance and major defence decisions. The US Force Posture Initiatives, AUKUS, B-52 bombers – all of these decisions were made without the proper democratic debate.
IPAN calls on the Australian government to cease any further American military expansion in Australia and to conduct a public inquiry into the implications of the US Force Posture Agreement for Australia’s security and sovereignty”, says Dr Scappatura.
For copies of the IPAN People’s Inquiry Report: https://ipan.org.au/read-or-order-the-report-of-peoples-inquiry/
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Media Interviews: Vince Scappatura 0422 837 002; Media Liaison: Kathryn Kelly 0417 269 984
Bio: Dr Vince Scappatura teaches Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University.
His latest book is The US Lobby and Australian Defence Policy |
