In an era of climate change and geopolitical tensions, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) finds itself at a crossroads. How can it balance its core mission of defending Australia with the growing need for disaster relief operations, both at home and abroad? This article explores the challenges and opportunities facing the ADF in this critical area.
To meet the Australian Government's strategic goals in the Indo-Pacific, maintaining a disaster relief force ready for rapid deployment is not just helpful – it's essential. These operations serve multiple purposes:
- Providing much-needed humanitarian aid
- Strengthening regional partnerships
- Enhancing Australia's international reputation
- Contributing to our national security strategy
Yet the importance of these operations is often not clearly understood or communicated to members of the ADF despite being vital to Australia's long-term security and influence in the region.
The Domestic Dilemma
Domestic disaster relief became one of the ADF’s most frequent tasks over the past two decades, placing pressure on Defence’s ability to meet its ongoing operational requirements and challenging its ability to prepare to defend Australia and its interests. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) raised a crucial red flag:
"Defence is not structured or appropriately equipped to act as a domestic disaster recovery agency concurrently with its core function, in any sustainable way."
The DSR recommended using the ADF for domestic aid only as a last resort, except in extreme circumstances. This shift aims to refocus the ADF on its primary mission: defending Australia's sovereignty and national interests. Yet, the importance of supporting disaster relief in our region has not gone away and contributes to the ADF’s mission in subtle but important ways.
Natural disasters present a problem that the ADF must continually consider as Australia moves into an era of increasing competition in the Indo-Pacific with volatile weather conditions resulting in several risks to national security, including a politically volatile near region. While DSR was right to highlight the risks of continued support to domestic disaster relief, the importance of that support abroad remains critical to the ADF’s role.
The Problem
As the climate continues to change, weather patterns within the South Pacific continue to be sporadic and unpredictable and it is increasingly difficult to forecast severe weather events and the associated environmental impact (He et al. 2021). This in-turn, places an unrealistic strain on the small reaction force available to plan, force posture, and deploy in support of a host nation or within our own states and territories (Omar 2023).
The ADF faces a dual challenge:
- Domestic Preparedness: Adapting to more frequent and severe natural disasters at home.
- Regional Stability: Supporting vulnerable Indo-Pacific nations facing existential threats from rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
The World Meteorological Organisation reports that the Pacific region experiences sea level rise at 4mm annually, above the global average of 3.4mm. This puts our neighbours at increased risk of devastating flooding, potentially destabilising the entire region. The 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS) outlines six immediate priorities with the sixth being to prioritise partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. The NDS also outlines the ADF’s five tasks:
- Defend Australia and our immediate region.
- Deter through denial any potential adversary’s attempt to project power against Australia through our northern approaches.
- Protect Australia’s economic connection to our region and the world.
- Contribute with our partners to the collective security of the Indo-Pacific.
- Contribute with our partners to the maintenance of the global rules-based order.
All five of these tasks (and the sixth priority) require an ADF capable and willing to work within the Indo-Pacific to support our neighbours, including following large-scale disaster relief.
International Disaster Relief
By responding to international disasters, Australia strengthens ties within the Indo-Pacific while highlighting our capabilities and willingness to help. Australia’s assistance also ensures that our partners in the region remain stable, resilient under trying circumstances, and that they are able to rapidly recover. The ADF is uniquely suited to these international operations.
The ADF deployed specialist personnel to five countries in the Indo-Pacific region from August to December 2023 in support of Pacific Partnership, a United States led multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission. Then Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, Air Vice-Marshal Michael Kitcher, AM, DSM, observed “ADF participation in Pacific Partnership 2023 demonstrates our enduring commitment to enhancing resilience and preparedness to respond to natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific region” (DoD 2023).
Humanitarian relief operations, especially in the form of Regional Assistance and UN missions are likely to increase in frequency and scale as the climate changes (Waterworth & Salmon 2023). Many regions will suffer famine-causing droughts or damage to food production and storage from adverse weather with the security situation deteriorating, requiring civil and military intervention (Devi 2022). When the regional situation is unable to be contained or resolved internally, international intervention is often required (Clarke 2023).
The DSR devoted a chapter to the climate threat and raised it as a national security issue; however, the subsequent NDS paid far less attention to the issue and the associated risks. The ADF’s strategic plans must consider the increasing frequency and complexity of regional disasters and the need for relief and stability operations.
A recent successful example of ADF international humanitarian and disaster assistance was Operation Vanuatu Assist 23 where more than 600 ADF members assisted the relief effort in Vanuatu following Tropical Cyclones Kevin and Judy in early 2023. The force was able to rapidly mobilise in March and provide clean-up and remediation of local schools and hospitals. They also built shelters, conducted water purification works, and delivered more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid. The force returned to Australia in April (DoD 2023).
Having ADF detachments positioned internationally on humanitarian assistance operations provides our people with a greater understanding of the region and the ability to respond more effectively across the spectrum of competition to conflict. The ADF being positioned to provide the host nation with military advice and assistance immediately, creates increased stability and security in the region. With the NDS speaking to deterrence by denial, any forward deployed element of the ADF would also be well positioned to contribute to this objective.
Working with Australia’s international military partners on operations strengthens our relationships, interoperability, and compatibility. As stated by Air Vice-Marshal Kitcher, “Strong relationships are the foundation for responding to shared security challenges and Pacific Partnership enables us to cooperate with partners, build on our shared capacity and bring nations together to support a peaceful, stable and prosperous region” (DoD2 2023).
Conclusion
The ADF can provide a rapidly deployable and uniquely capable force, able to assist with both domestic and international disaster relief missions. International disaster relief strengthens Australia’s status in the region, builds strong relationships with our neighbours, and ensures a secure and friendly Indo-Pacific. Alternatively using the ADF repeatedly for domestic disaster relief leaves Australia vulnerable in a period of increased competition and risk of conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
References
Clarke, A.G., 2023. Military Challenges from Climate Change. Contemporary Issues in Air and Space Power, 1(1), p.bp36471855.
Commonwealth of Australia, National Security: Defence Strategic Review, 2023, p. 41. At: https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/defence-strategic-review.
Department of Defence (DoD) 2023. ADF finishes cyclone aid to Vanuatu 21 April 2023 https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2023-04-21/adf-finishes-cyclone-aid-vanuatu
Department of Defence (DoD2) 2023. ADF specialist support Pacific Partnership 2023 23 August 2023 https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/releases/2023-08-23/adf-specialists-support-pacific-partnership-2023
Department of Defence (DoD) 2024. Defence Assistance to the Civil Community Initiative https://www.defence.gov.au/defence-activities/programs-initiatives/defence-assistance-civil-community-initiative
Department of Defence (DoD) 2016. Defence White Paper 2016. https://www.defence.gov.au/about/strategic-planning/defence-white-paper
Department of Home Affairs (DoHA), Alternative Commonwealth Capabilities for Crisis Response, August 2023.
Devi, S., 2022. Climate change driving east Africa towards famine. The Lancet, 400(10347), pp.150-151.
He, W., Xie, X., Mei, Y., Wan, S. and Zhao, S., 2021. Decreasing predictability as a precursor indicator for abrupt climate change. Climate Dynamics, 56, pp.3899-3908.
Hsu, C.J., 2022. Australia’s Indo-Pacific Strategy under the Albanese Labor Government. Taiwan Strategists, (14), pp.41-58.
Jennings, D., 2024. ADF equipment aids flood recovery. Department of Defence. https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2024-01-16/adf-equipment-aids-flood-recovery
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Planning for the future of Australia’s disaster response 12 February 2024 https://nema.gov.au/about-us/media-centre/planning-for-the-future-of-australias-disaster-response-nat120224
Nicholson, B. 2021 Australia must adapt to reduced warning time ahead of conflict, Australian Strategic Policy Institute https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/australia-must-adapt-to-reduced-warning-time-ahead-of-conflict/
Omar, M., 2023. Climate Change and its impacts towards Military. The Journal of Defence and Security, 17(1), pp.81-II.
Shiiba, N., Singh, P., Charan, D., Raj, K., Stuart, J., Pratap, A. and Tefera, F.F., 2023. Ethiopia’s 1984/85 famine and the Red Terror Trials. Third World Quarterly, pp.1-19.
Thistlewaite, M. 2014 People, power, posture – modernising the Australian Defence Force to meet the challenges of the future. Speech. 21 February 2024 https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/speeches/2024-02-21/people-power-posture-modernising-australian-defence-force-meet-challenges-future
Waterworth, M. and Salmon, C., 2023. The Future of Humanitarianism in Response to Climate Change. European Economic Letters (EEL), 13(1), pp.209-213.
Weatherill, C.K., 2023. Sinking Paradise? Climate change vulnerability and Pacific Island extinction narratives. Geoforum, 145, p.103566.
If one were to look at the issues with supporting, or acting as the primary, "domestic disaster recovery agency" and consider it in conjunction with LTCOL McLeod Wood's 2023 article, "Considering the Heretical: Whole-of-Government Universal Service in Australia", perhaps we have one potential solution to domestic crises without reducing our international aid efforts.