Abstract
Australia’s decision to acquire long-range nuclear-powered submarines, its desire for interchangeable forces with America and the claim by a former defence minister that it would be ‘inconceivable’ for Australia not to be involved in a conflict over Taiwan indicate high ambitions. Archipelagic deterrence better accommodates the political dilemmas of alliance and partner cooperation, and provides the United States with a resilient platform for conducting long-term strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. In the 1980s, the key one for Australian defence policy was how to justify and design a defence force in the absence of a threat. This led to the ‘Defence of Australia’ strategy, whereby Australia could handle short-term and low-level threats, while cooperating with the US abroad in the case of anything more substantial. Deterrence is a new path for Australia. During the Cold War, Canberra made only ad hoc contributions to the deterrence plans of its partners.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 79-99 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Survival |
Volume | 65 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 7 Aug 2023 |