Naval, air bases must reinforce Australia’s western front, Hamilton-Smith says

Australian territories could be seized by foreign powers trying to threaten or humiliate us, the former SA MP says.

Permanent naval and air force bases must be established on Australia’s northwestern coast to prevent a “Falklands-style” invasion of offshore territories such as Christmas Island, according to the Australian Sovereign Capability Alliance.

In a submission to the Defence Department’s strategic review, alliance director and former SA defence industry minister Martin Hamilton-Smith has warned Australia’s trade routes on the west coast are at risk of devastating attacks from enemies.

Australia only has one air force base to the northwest, Butterworth in Malaysia. He argues Australia’s Indian Ocean territories, also including the Cocos Keeling Islands, remain vulnerable to a “Falklands-style seizure by a foreign power designed to humiliate and threaten Australia”.

SA defence industry minister Martin Hamilton-Smith. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The submission points out that Australia’s northwest is vulnerable to attack – albeit an unlikely one – “to disrupt or seize energy or mineral resources” as it is “far removed from ADF reinforcement and road, rail and communication links are few and distant”.

“Australia’s west coast, not the north, is both the richest target for attack and the most strategically vulnerable,” the submission says.

“Over 50 per cent of Australian export wealth departs from west coast ports and most of the nation’s iron ore, minerals, oil and gas depart through west coast waters, principally to China.”

Mr Hamilton-Smith says petroleum imports upon which our transport, aviation and defence industries are “dangerously dependent” also come from the west.

“The vast expanse of the Indian Ocean affords an attacker opportunity for surface or sub-surface strikes, raids, land incursions, or air and maritime interdiction,” he says.

“If we are to prepare for a threat to Australia’s territory or critical economic interests, a naval base and permanent air force base should be established at suitable airfields and ports in the northwest coast of Australia, with corresponding infrastructure and sustainment capability.”

Mr Hamilton-Smith argues the ADF’s “most important” capability shortfall is medium and long-range missiles to sink ships and “strike at strategic targets, and that more than the planned eight nuclear submarines may be needed, spread across the east and west coasts to “disperse capability”.

Extra Offshore Patrol Vessels with anti-ship missiles should also be built to boost short-term capability, he says.

The submission also identifies “multiple” ADF supply chains have connections to China or Taiwan and would become unreliable in the event of major conflict.

It calls for a national civil defence corps for natural disasters instead of ADF resources that would be too stretched in wartime.

Defence said it would not pre-empt the outcome of the strategic review.