Future NT 2025: Military expert Dr Albert Palazzo on AUKUS, Australian defence policy
Australia’s defence policy has been “seriously wrong” for generations, claims a long-time defence strategist, who says the country is becoming a ‘sub-element’ of the US.
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Australia’s defence policy has been “seriously wrong” for generations, claims a long-time defence strategist, who says the country needs to decide what it wants the ADF to be for the nation.
As the Albanese Government continues to resist US pressure to increase military spending, former Australian Army director of War Studies, Dr Albert Palazzo, is calling for a complete re-think regarding the security of Australia and Canberra’s current relationship with Washington D.C.
Speaking to the NT News, Dr Palazzo said while current matters, such as the future of the AUKUS submarine project, were new, Australia’s broader defence issues had been festering for years.
“Australian defence policy is seriously wrong and (has been) for quite a long period of time now,” he said.
Having written more than 20 books on Australian military history and national security policy, Dr Palazzo said the nation only knew one way of achieving national defence.
“Australia has been following the same defence policy since Federation, which is to buddy-up with a great power - that’s what we’re doing with the US,” he said.
“We now have (President Trump) who is perhaps not as reliable as past presidents were in honouring American commitments.”
Dr Palazzo also hit out at the AUKUS program.
“I believe there’s no rational reason to acquire these platforms,” he said.
“It’s not not just because they’re expensive - the estimate is $368bn - but we just don’t need them.
“Australia doesn’t have a need to operate in the East China Sea and conduct offensive operations against China - the US might need these vessels, but Australia doesn’t.”
For generations, successive federal governments have aligned Australia’s strategic and military outlook to reflect the US.
The theme of alignment was reinforced last month when Prime Minister Albanese backed President Trump’s missile strikes against Iran.
Dr Palazzo said Australia was in danger of becoming an extension of the US military rather than a partner force.
“Is it appropriate for the ADF to be designed as a sub-element of the US military? What we’re doing is responding to American strategic needs,” he said.
“We’re not responding to Australian (needs).”
When Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong were pressed on whether NT-based facilities, such Pine Gap and RAAF Base Tindal, aided US operations against Tehran, no clear answer was given.
Dr Palazzo said the lack of transparency and “secrecy” around Australia’s involvement in overseas conflicts was becoming a growing concern.
“The Australian people should be able to hold their political leaders to account,” he said.
“But our leaders make that extraordinarily difficult by not engaging on matters such as this.”
In a bid to offer a ‘Plan B’ defence policy, Dr Palazzo raises different solutions in his latest book, ‘The Big Fix - Rebuilding Australia’s National Security’.
Discussing matters such as climate change, drones and recruitment, Dr Palazzo said he wanted Australians to consider a new approach.
“I argue that we should adopt what we call the philosophy of the strategic defensive,” he said.
“I didn’t coin this - it’s been around for hundreds of years.
“Being an island is helpful, we’re not an aggressive people, we have no desire to take anybody’s territory away from them, we’re not planning to invade anyone - we don’t have to be an offensive state, but we are because of our allegiance to the US.”
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Originally published as Future NT 2025: Military expert Dr Albert Palazzo on AUKUS, Australian defence policy
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