The Australian has a pre-release discussion of it.
No mention of the report, or its impending release from the
defence website media room
.
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John McEwan, the long time deputy Prime Minister to Robert Menzies, claimed in an interview that one of his greatest achievements was the sending of the HMAS Adelaide to New Caledonia in 1940 to do some gunboat diplomacy. Historically, McEwan's claim has not been confirmed, but is possible within the manner that the first Menzies' government managed policy and cabinet decisions. As Peter Edwards wrote in an essay titled, "The Royal Australian Navy in Australian Diplomacy", this instance is interesting because of its rarity. Australian mythology always gives dominance to the Army through the ANZAC legend/myth. This has led to a policy, media and nationalistic view of the military as dominated by the Army and segmented in capability - a jointery.
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In the past the Navy has been the centre of imperial pride. The ships themselves are often inhumanely large, are capital intensive to design and build, not to mention expensive to maintain. Australia has never really done the Navy well, the "great and powerful friends" doctrine of foreign policy has meant we have ended up with a small and dependent Navy that can slot in to either the British or American Navies. Warfare is changing, the potential of conflict between nation-states will continue to exist; but networked warfare between nation-states and non-state actors is appearing as technology and communications commodify. The Navy will have to adapt to meet the traditional challenge of warfare between nation-states, in addition to decentralised systems warfare and national purpose.
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Australian defence is divided in political doctrine between the Regionalists and the Expeditionists. Tempered in with these two doctrines is the "Great and Powerful Friends" doctrine of foreign policy which both major parties follow. Under the Howard Government Expeditionists have been claiming victory, unfortunately procurement in the last nine years has been highly unfocused, and will have a deleterious effect on Australian projection. The Expeditionist viewpoint is inherently limiting as it is dependent upon the "Great and Powerful Friends" doctrine and cannot serve as the basis for an independent Australian military or foreign policy.
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