Posted on 02/25/2003 8:19:00 PM PST by FairOpinion
NEW Government report recommends a shake-up in Australia's defence to meet the threat of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
The report, unveiled by the federal Government, took three years to complete and follows on from a white paper on defence released in December 2000.
Defence Minister Robert Hill said it underlined that Australia's strategic environment was being shaped by the twin threats of terrorism and terror weapons, and by instability in Australia's immediate region.
"We believe recent terrorist attacks are more than a transitory phenomenon and likely to last for years," he said.
"We believe that these terrorists are strategically focused with the objective of rolling back Western values, engagement and influence, and to weaken and to ultimately supplant moderate Islamic governments.
"We assess that Australia has been identified as a target."
The 25-page report cited unrest in South-East Asia including Indonesia and East Timor, as well as countries in the Pacific such as Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji.
The report's main conclusions are that terrorism and weapons of mass destruction represent real and immediate threats to Australia.
The report said the threat of military attack was less than it was three years ago due to the role of the United States in boosting global security.
But it said Australia's island geography would not protect it from rogue states or ballistic missiles in the hands of terrorists.
The report contains no new funding figures for the defence force, indicating the government plans to deal with the new threat from the existing defence Budget.
It seems like the Australians are facing reality, unlike many in the US, who insist on living in denial about the reality of the terrorist threat and threat with WMD.
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