Various criticisms have been made of the Defence White Paper. One interesting criticism is the notion that defence planning should be based on a thorough analysis of the likely strategic environment in the coming decades. Planning must be based on such assumptions so that policy can be directed towards valid aims.
Apparently the major assumption behind the Government's priorities is a perception of growing Chinese domination of the Asia-Pacific region.
It is interesting, however, that no consideration seems to have been given to the ethical assumptions behind Australian defence, and to questions such as the kind of defence Australia can justly employ, what sorts of weapons and personnel this kind of defence requires, and in what circumstances the military should be deployed.
Before Labor's election in late 2007, Kevin Rudd expressed some interesting ideas about Australian politics. One was that the Australian electorate approached the Labor Party as though it were a Babushka doll.
A Babushka is a Russian doll traditionally built in multiple sets fitting one inside another. Rudd envisaged the outer layer as international security built upon the US alliance.
According to the Babushka theory, voters needed assurance about Labor's support for the alliance before they would even consider the inner policies on other matters such as management of the economy, social welfare, health, education and the environment.
The current emphasis on China suggests the Government is addressing a change in underlying policy. Rather than emphasising the importance of the US alliance, it is arguing that Australia needs to be self-reliant. This change of posture seems both to be correct and to contain the potential for efficient planning.
Whenever ethical use of a military force is considered, the notion of defence always implies 'self-defence'. While any state would be grateful to receive assistance in an emergency, the idea of external protection has obvious problems, not least of which is the potential for loss of sovereignty.
So, even though the White Paper proposes increased defence spending, if self-reliance is achieved then the policy does appeal on ethical grounds.
The US alliance has involved Australia in too many
disastrous enterprises with flimsy justifications and little public support, All Australians should welcome an approach that ensures future Governments can make decisions based on consideration of the circumstances and not be tied to courting favour with a great power.
But while the White Paper has some encouraging aspects, the ethical underpinnings of Australian defence have barely been considered. There