Why are we spending billions of dollars on tanks and what is the army's role in modern combat? We explore Australia's preparedness for war in the first of a four-part Herald series | Gallo_Ways
Australia’s military identity is inexorably linked to the army. Historically, our notion of war has been largely informed by the two world wars, when Australia’s significant contributions involved heavy losses – young men who were willing to put their lives on the line from the bloody catastrophe of Gallipoli to the desperation of Kokoda.
In this new era, the Australian Army has struggled to explain to the public its role and relevance in modern warfare. For example, why do we need tanks? Australia has not used a tank in anger since the Vietnam War. “The idea of the tanks is to provide support and protection to the infantry. And that has been a well-established military principle and one that we adhere to … the existing tanks have a shelf life and need to be replaced, and it’s a costly business.”Ever since World War II, Australia’s military planners have been committed to what is called a “balanced force”. According to this objective, the Australian Defence Force should, at the very least, be able to do a little bit of everything.
“What you need for that is highly mobile, relatively light vehicles like the Bushmaster and up to the light armoured vehicle – the LAV style – wheeled rather than tracked.”, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University, believes Australia would need tanks in a potential war with China.
“And all of these armchair theorists who suggest that tanks are outdated, that the army doesn’t need armoured vehicles and it’s going to be too heavy, I’d love to see some of them walk that last 400 metres.” These weapons – including anti-ship missiles, a long-range rocket system and surface-to-air missile systems – would be integral in stopping Chinese vessels from getting through the archipelago to our north in the event of an attack.
“There are issues around IP and export bans ... because the United States finds itself at capacity within their own system of production,” he says. “So it’s important for us to develop that sovereign capability and manufacturing capacity. In addition to the rotational deployment of US Marines through Darwin for training purposes, American forces are likely to commit to a more permanent basing of their troops in Australia in the years ahead.
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