Posted on 12/08/2005 1:48:33 PM PST by naturalman1975
PRIME Minister John Howard has given the clearest indication yet that Australian troops may stay on in Iraq, but a defence analyst has warned it may be stretching resources.
Japan yesterday announced it will extend its historic military mission in southern Iraq until the end of 2006, but may pull out sometime next year.
Mr Howard welcomed the decision, saying: "We'll continue to work with our Japanese friends, we'll continue to provide security."
Australia's 450-member Al Muthanna Task Group aims to create a secure environment for the Japanese force to perform humanitarian reconstruction work. A second Australian rotation is now in place and will stay to May.
Should Japan decide to stay beyond May, Australia would have to consider extending the deployment with a third rotation.
Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said the difficulty was that Australia did not have large numbers of the cavalry and mechanised infantry forces now serving in southern Iraq.
"It may be if there has to be a third and fourth tour, that some people who were on the first tour may have to go back," Mr James told ABC radio.
"A simple rule of thumb in military deployments is that you need to maintain capabilities in threes. So one is doing it, one is getting ready to do it next and one has just got back from having done it. Then you can keep rotating a deployment virtually indefinitely.
"Australia's problem is that we maintain a lot of key capabilities just in ones and twos. The force we have in Iraq is really one we maintain more in twos than threes."
Mr Howard said he would discuss details of ongoing support for Japan's deployment when he meets Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the East Asian Summit in Kuala Lumpur next week.
Opposition Defence spokesman Robert McClelland said Iraq remained a diversion of resources away from the real security priorities in the South-East Asian region.
"It also sends the message to the interim administration in Iraq that the pressure is not on them," he told ABC radio.
"In other words the pressure is not on them to get their act in order and take responsibility for their own security."
Earlier this month, Defence Minister Robert Hill indicated a possible timetable.
He tipped a likely extension of the Japanese mission and said any decision to significantly extend the deployment of Australian troops in southern Iraq would need to be made by February to allow fresh troops time to prepare.
Australian troops are also training members of the Iraq security forces and Senator Hill said it was expected that job would be completed by the middle of next year.
I love the Ozzies. Australia may be the last vacation spot left on earth that I desire to visit.
The men are being separated from the boys, aren't they? Those with intestinal fortitude (guts) stay. Gutless phoneys (Spain, France, the U.N.) run away.
RED WHITE & BLUE, Stars and Stripes. These colors don't run. United we stand. Divided we fall, Democrats.
You do realise that France is still involved in combat in Afghanistan. Their aircraft have been this year dropping bombs on anti-coalition forces.
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