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As Australia continues the discussion on how to develop the continent’s vast northern region, political and business leaders are asking what role the Defence Force can play in the overall strategy.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott made developing northern Australia a key election promise last year and a White Paper on the topic is due in September.

A heavy emphasis has been put on mining, agriculture and population growth, but the nation’s top policy ‘thinkers’ agree the future of the Australian Defence Force needs to be front and centre in the discussion - partly for obvious national security reasons in a changing region, but also because what the ADF does in the north has the potential to boost economic development.

This was one of the key issues at the recent Northern Development Summit, where Townsville Barracks Commanding Officer Brigadier Roger Noble spoke about a range of issues connected to defence and the north.

The summit was held in Townsville on June 27 and brought together political, business and development leaders to discuss the future of northern Australia. Its recommendations will be submitted to the Government for the white paper.

Amphibious capabilities
BRIG Noble’s first observation was that amphibious capability would play a growing role in shaping the defence presence in northern Australia. He said the expansion of amphibious capabilities could present opportunities for communities in the north.

“What that (amphibious expansion) does is drive a giant integration of the three services,” he said.

“And what are they looking for? A ‘force projection base’ and the capacity to get on and off the ship.

“So that is where Townsville in particular, but also Darwin, present great opportunities to exploit the development of an amphibious force.”

BRIG Noble said Australia’s amphibious expansion was well progressed, but the next few years would see the strategy come to fruition.

One of the biggest moves within that strategy will be the arrival of two new Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock ships, which will be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy by the end of 2016. They will be one of the most sophisticated air–land-sea deployment systems in the world, capable of transporting and deploying military forces and their equipment, as well as aviation assets.

The first of the 230-metre ships, NUSHIP Canberra, was due to begin her final set of sea trials in early August 2014 from Williamstown in Victoria. If those trials are successful, she is expected to be delivered in October this year.

The second ship, NUSHIP Adelaide is at the Williamstown Dockyard, where installation of the combat and communications systems is under way.

The Defense Force says once completed, both LHD ships will be based at Garden Island in Sydney. However, it is expected they will also spend time in the north.

Amphibious Battle Group
BRIG Noble said the LHDs would help shape the defence presence in northern Australia.

In 2012, the Australian Army selected the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Townsville to be the army’s Amphibious Battle Group.

That battle group is responsible for raising the core of the army’s amphibious capability and comprises 622 personnel, who will spend considerable time each year embarked on the LHD ships.

BRIG Noble said the amphibious element had been placed in Townsville as an interim measure.

“We are doing a trial for about five years to work out what is the best way to do amphibious in the army,” he said.

“In the short term it will definitely be in Townsville.

“In the long term will be in Townsville at some point and may be in Townsville (permanently).”

Defence spending in Northern Australia
The Northern Development Summit was organised by Melbourne leadership group ADC Forum and included presentations from leaders in mining, agriculture and government. It also heard from experts on infrastructure, economics, foreign relations and population growth.

ADC chief executive officer Anton Roux said it was clear Defence would be one of the big factors in developing northern Australia.

“Defence and the defence industries both have significant roles to play for nation building and being part of grand strategy,” he said.

“In the broader sense, grand strategy is about how you would direct the resources of the nation in the national interest in peace time as well as non-peace time.”

A recurring message from speakers at the summit was that increased spending on defence in northern Australia would help develop local economies.

BRIG Noble said strategic decisions on defence would always be based on national security, rather than economic development. However, he said communities in the north could still tap into a defence presence to boost their local economies.

He pointed out spending on defence infrastructure had been happening on a ‘massive’ scale in northern Australia throughout its colonised history.

The economic contribution of defence to northern communities has brought into sharp focus during Brigadier Noble’s presentation.

There are 15,000 defence personnel across Northern Australia.

7000 of those are in Townsville, bringing with them another 8000 dependents, who also live in the city.

He said the Defence Force spends $330 million per year on wages in Townsville alone and economic analysis shows defence brought $656 million in indirect benefit to the city between 2008 and 2012.

During that time, the department spent more than $682 million on infrastructure in Townsville.

“As you can see from that, we are roughly 11.6 to 12 per cent of most things in this town, like population or investment,” he said.

“If you were to ask me what is the optimal size (for a defence presence) in a regional town, I would say about that much.

“But there is no reason it couldn’t be larger should that opportunity present itself.

“All the pieces are here.”

Foreign military presence
BRIG Noble also spoke about the presence of foreign military personnel in northern Australia, mainly for training.

“The (American) Marines presence in northern Australia has significantly expanded and they are using large areas to train,” he said.

“So, there is another model of investment by coalition forces, which has a long history.

“The use by foreign forces of our facilities and training areas is another area for potential expansion.”

Former ambassador to China Geoff Raby agreed hosting more foreign troops to train in northern Australia would be a positive step, especially from a foreign relations view point.

Mr Raby spoke at the summit on how Australia’s relationship with Asia would impact development of the north.

He said hosting foreign personnel in northern Australia would boost relationships, with flow-on effects that could spill over to other fields, such as trade and education.

“A unique part of northern Australia is that there is a big concentration of defence presence here and obviously this is underpinned by government expenditure,” he said.

“That provides a unique platform to further integrate and relate to the (Asian) region.

“Not only in more general strategic areas, but in terms of joint training between the ADF and other regional militaries and extending to things like disaster recovery and support.

“This can be a further link into the region.”

Local opportunities and population growth
Many local government and industry leaders at the Northern Development Summit were interested in how they could increase the chances of defence spending in their communities.

BRIG Noble said although benefits such as economic activity and population growth would come with a defence presence, they would not be the main consideration for decision-makers.

He advised leaders in northern communities to focus on the ‘national interest’ when making a business case for investment or procurement in their region.

“The key thing is to understand and track the strategic national security interest and its focus,” he said.

“Understand that inside out and then apply that to your region and develop a business case around that central requirement.

“A lot of people say, ‘Give it to us because we deserve it.’

“In my experience the best business cases begin with the national security and defence interests and then tier into all the other reasons why your region is the best for that.”

Another major talking point at the summit was population growth in northern Australia.

This included how much growth was possible and how to build the social infrastructure needed to host a bigger population.

Mr Roux said discussion about growing the sparse population of northern Australia had a clear connection with national security.

“There are people in this country who have looked at the north for a very long time and looked at its lack of population compared to other areas on the planet,” he said.

“We are in a world with a population of seven billion, heading to nine billion in the next couple of decades.

“I think it is worth recognising, as part of this discussion, the increasing pressure on (global) development and resources.

“A lot of people are discussing these issues and the question is out there whether there is a ‘use it or lose it’ scenario when it comes to land on a planet of nine billion people.”

Another connection between defence and population growth was access to human capital required by the defence force.

“A broader population base brings a better skills base,” Mr Roux said.

“That’s got to be more attractive to any industry.”

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