Military/ US Australia Alliance

Military Questions

1. Steven Smith is the Defence Minister for the Australian government and he works with the Army and defence/ military units. He was recently in Washington DC giving a speech about how the increasing contribution Australia makes to the security of the US.
2. The Brookings Institution that the Australia-US alliance was the indispensable, enduring feature of Australia's strategic and security arrangements; it was in Washington.
3. The role that the Australian/ US Alliance play; Mr Smith said it was unambiguously in Australia's national interest for the US to be active and engaged in the Asia-Pacific, as the region became the world's centre of gravity and as economic, political, military and strategic influence shifted.
4. Australia's global location is important because Australia is located reasonably close to the US and is close to China. Mr Smith said though that the balance of geopolitics is shifting, and Australia is at the southern tier of that central dynamic.
5. Australia has made quite a few contributions within 50 years; so for almost 50 years, through the joint defence facilities in Australia, Australia have made a significant contribution to US national security by hosting or supporting some of the US's most sensitive and critical strategic capabilities.
6. The minister said that the Australian companies said  9000 Australian companies did business in the US. They pay an average wage of $US70,000 ($63,490) per employee per annum and include your largest shopping-centre owner and two of your largest 20 banks.
7. The minister said that Australia is an ally that adds value. Australia is not a consumer of US security who imposes tough choices on the US military and US public policy. Australia adds value, and does so from a vantage point of respect, not dependency.
8. The country that is central to Australia's relationships in the region is China.
9. Australia was positive and optimistic about China's emergence but Beijing had to be more open and transparent. Australia wants, as the Chinese would say, China to emerge into a 'harmonious environment'.
10. I think this is important for Australia because Australia wants lots of allies; just in case of anything bad (like a war or terrorist attack), Australia wants and may need lots of allies to help.