Australia's Military Alliance(s) and Partnerships.
Franz Kratschmer
Franz Kratschmer
Retired at United Nations, Foreign Policy Adviser, Author, Korean Peninsula analyst.
Published May 22, 2021
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Australians have fought alongside Americans in every major US military action of the last century, including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.
ANZUS - Australia’s one military alliance is with the USA, and came into force between the USA, Australia and New Zealand in 1952. ANZUS was suspended in 1986 between the USA and New Zealand because of New Zealand’s anti-nuclear stance. It has operated in two prongs, one between Australia and New Zealand, and the other between Australia and the USA. ANZUS does not create a unified military command, as in the case with NATO in Europe an has been invoked only once. Following the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, the Howard government promised to help the USA.
In theory, ANZUS means the USA will come to the defence of Australia, but leading defence observers over the years have interpreted the treaty as promising consultation rather than guaranteeing help for Australia in the highly unlikely event of attack by an external power. The real significance of ANZUS in the last sixty-two years has been to integrate Australia into the global military and diplomatic strategies of the USA. Australia has had easy access to American thinking on international events, and to a large extent has made that thinking its own.
Australia also has various military arrangements with other countries, such as:
Defence Sponsored Treaties-Security Arrangements. Security arrangements serve as the formal basis for the reciprocal protection of classified information between Governments. Australia enjoys SAs with Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden and South Africa.
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The understandings between Governments regarding visiting military forces are commonly addressed in a SOFA. Australia signed SOFAs with the United States, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Papa New Guinea.
The Australia-India Strategic Partnership, Accelerating Security Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Shred concerns about the People's Republic of China's global outreach have propelled India and Australia to deepen their security ties.
The Defence Pact (Reciprocal Access Agreement) between Australia and Japan. Both countries will undertake more joint military exercises in the key maritime flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific. The defence pact will allow for more maritime war games, military aviation exercises and the stationing of troops in each other's countries.
ABCA Armies. Air and Space Interoperability Council and AUSCANNZUKUS (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA), collectively known as the Five Eyes.
AUSCANNZUKUS is an abbreviation for the naval Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) interoperability organization involving the five aforementioned Anglosphere nations. It is also used as security caveat in the UKUSA Community, where it is also known as "Five Eyes". UKUSA - the United Kingdom, the United States of America Agreement.
CANZUK is a proposed alliance between the major Commonwealth realms; its members will be Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It forms an international federation similar in scope to the former European Economic Community. This includes increased trade, foreign policy co-operation, military co-operation and mobility of citizens between the four states.
And then there's the Commonwealth of nations and the debts owed by European countries.