FDI Feature Interviews
‘The Indian Ocean is Fundamental to UK Interests’ - Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, Royal Navy
Under pressure from unprecedented defence budget cutbacks and perennial operational deployments, the Royal Navy today is confronted by escalating demands on its limited resources. In this context, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, the Royal Navy’s Commander-in-Chief Fleet, spoke with Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe, and addressed matters such as the changes in the Royal Navy over the last decade, its contribution to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, the importance of the Indian Ocean as a theatre of operations, the implications of defence budget reductions and the growing importance of coalition interoperability.
Nation Building in Afghanistan: Australia’s Contribution to PRT Uruzgan
The concept of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) first emerged from US experience in Iraq, and was later transferred to Afghanistan as a necessary capability to facilitate district and provincial-level reconstruction, development and capacity-building programmes. For a number of years Australia has maintained a battle group in Uruzgan Province and has made an important contribution to its PRT mission. Recently, Australian diplomat Bernard Philip, who led the Australian element from August 2010 to August 2011, spoke to FDI’s Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe about the role and composition of PRT Uruzgan, ongoing programs and capacity-building initiatives and the future of the PRT’s mission in Uruzgan.
‘The Search to Understand a Changing Climate Leads Inexorably to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean’ - Dr Tony Fleming, Australian Antarctic Division
The impact of climate change is forecast to have major implications for the future of the world’s climate system. According to Dr Tony Fleming, who heads the Australian Antarctic Division, developing an in-depth appreciation of the impact of climate change through scientific research in Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and the southern Indian Ocean will provide valuable information that will help Australia to adapt to its challenges.
Australia and the Rise of China
Dr Paul Monk is a noted Australian public intellectual and the author of Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China (2005) and The West in a Nutshell: Foundations, Fragilities, Futures (2009), among other books. He is a former head of China analysis for the Defence Intelligence Organisation. Earlier this year, Dr Paul Monk was interviewed by FDI’s Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe on the implications of China’s rise for Australia.
‘Somalia Helped us to Better Understand the Importance of Civil-Military Relations’ - General David Hurley, Chief of Defence Force
Nearly two decades have now passed since the ADF dispatched forces to the UN-mandated Unified Task Force in Somalia (UNITAF; 1992-1993), an operation that left its mark on the evolution of the Australian Army. According to General David Hurley, the ADF’s newly appointed Chief of Defence Force who at the time was 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment’s (1RAR) Commanding Officer, the mission Operation Solace proved vitally important in building the ADF’s confidence for what was to follow in later years.
The Inspector of Transport Security Discusses Offshore Hydrocarbon Inquiry
The Australian hydrocarbon industry contributes $22 billion to annual export earnings and employs over 10,000 Australians. Projections suggest over the coming decades these figures will grow exponentially. As the global profile of Australian oil and gas rises, coupled with more ambitious projects in remote locations, the industry’s susceptibility to targeting from undesirable entities, including terrorists, piracy and other non-state actors rises.
In early 2011, in response to this growing spectrum of challenges, Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese, commissioned the ITS to conduct a review into the security of Australia’s offshore hydrocarbon industry.
The inquiry led by former head of the Federal Police, Michael Palmer AO APM, will assess and provide recommendations to ensure security the continuing security of industry. In August, Mr Palmer spoke to Future Directions International, regarding the inquiry.
Operation Pakistan Assist II: 'The Most Successful Australian Deployment of a Combined Humanitarian Task Force.'
As one of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) few disaster relief operations in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, Operation Pakistan Assist II in August to October 2010 followed in the wake of a previous such ADF experience in October 2005, named Operation Pakistan Assist. According to Wing Commander Ross Wadsworth of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who commanded Operation Pakistan Assist II, the mission’s key lessons continue to resonate today and well into the future.
‘The Objective I Have for the Army is to be Able to Confront the Full Spectrum of Threats’ - General Teeravat Boonyapradub, Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army, one of South-East Asia’s oldest armies, is currently in the midst of reassessing its numerical strength while it continues to implement its modernisation agenda, which focuses on re-equipping its combat units to maintain a high-level of readiness for a range of contingencies that may emerge. According to General Teeravat Boonyapradub, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, the modernisation plan is in line with the army’s vision to sustain capabilities in full-spectrum operations.
‘I See the Indian Ocean to be as Important as the Pacific’ – Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston
As among the few countries in the world bordering two oceans, since the Second World War Australia’s interest toward the Indian Ocean has fluctuated with the advent of strategic rivalry, as seen initially with Germany and Japan, later the Soviet Union, and now the rise of China and India. In this context, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who recently retired from the role of Chief of the Defence Force, spoke to FDI’s Sergei DeSilva-Ranasinghe in April about the growing importance of the Indian Ocean to Australia.
South African Taps into Kimberley Potential
- Indonesian cattle exports face uncertain future as Indonesia seeks self-sufficiency
- Summer cropping gives cattle breeders scope for income security
- Soil and water conditions provide Kimberley with significant untapped potential
- South African farmers, eager to come to Australia, would bring new farming methods that would lift farm production levels.