- The Strategist - https://www.aspistrategist.org.au -
A little bit of fear is a strong deterrent
Posted By Brendan Nicholson on May 8, 2018 @ 14:30
They don’t fear us anymore. They respect us still, but they don’t fear us.
So as we go forward, the ability to be less predictable, to present multiple dilemmas, the best thing we can do is get that churn factor back up there so we don’t have to fight a war because they wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that.
We are outgunned and outranged by peers and near-peers and we are determined to turn that around by prioritising systems that the war fighter needs and fielding those systems now.
We are at an inflection point where the character of warfare is changing, but no matter how it changes, our success will hinge on having trusted teams of professionals that can thrive in ambiguity and chaos.
The areas that have the greatest potential are cyber and space, but they also have the greatest policy restrictions and challenges.
The good news is it takes empowerment and the quality of people to do that. That’s what will put that fear back and if we do it right we’ll prevent conflict because they wouldn’t be foolish enough to go against us.
We’ve got to truly get to the next level of ‘joint’ where—if you think about a web where you could link all the assets you have and have many options—that’s where we need to go. This web can present many dilemmas to an enemy. We don’t have that right now. We’re extremely predictable and linear and there’s folks out there, Russia and China, who can watch that and learn from that, and develop systems to counter that.
It gives us the ability to present dilemmas to the enemy and be less predictable. This is a key aspect that is needed.
We do get asked that a lot based on things people hear, be it in elections or comments made. But there’s no question, I feel very confident we will remain.
We’ve been a Pacific nation for 150-plus years. You’d have to be crazy not to be focused on the Pacific and our national defence strategy priority is the Pacific, and for good reason.
Our friendship is underpinned by a deep alignment of interests and our societies’ shared commitment to the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
The veins of this partnership run deep—not just at the government level, but between individuals, companies and institutions. They run deep because our nations—and our people—operate on the common principles of individual liberties, equal rights and, to steal that wonderful Aussie phrase, the principle of a fair go.
As our governments, doctors, industry leaders and other organisations work together, so too will our armed forces work together to share information and technologies to deny safe haven to those who would do harm in this region.
We will continue to work together to enforce freedom of navigation and to ensure the Pacific region stays true to its name: peaceful.
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