Defence of Australia Policy - Criticisms of The Policy

Criticisms of The Policy

Most criticisms of the DOA policy focus on the policy's inflexibility. In particular, it is argued that Australia's foreign relations and defence interests require a defence force which is capable of rapidly deploying outside Australia. It is also argued that the DOA force structure was not capable of adequately responding to threats other than a direct attack on Australian soil. Furthermore, it is also argued that the DOA policy is unsuitable for coping with the less stable geopolitical conditions since the end of the Cold War which has seen the Australian Army deployed more often than anticipated under DOA.

To a large extent, the Liberal Party government elected in 1996 embraced these criticisms and has re-oriented Australian defence policy by placing greater emphasis on the ADFs ability to deploy overseas. This does not, however, represent a return to 'forward defence' as it involves Australian expeditionary forces deploying from bases in Australia, and not the permanent stationing of Australian military units overseas. Furthermore, defending Australia from external attack remains the ADF's primary responsibility.