One of the key considerations for Australia’s Defence is the ‘tyranny of distance’.[1] As an island nation, geographically removed from major powers and geopolitical tensions, Australia has enjoyed a security benefit arising from the complexity and expense it would cost an adversary to launch an attack on its territory.[2] With this benefit though has come the expense and limitations of Australia being highly dependent on sea lines of communication (SLOC) and “approximately 12,000 kilometres from its closest allies”.[3] At the present time, the defensive significance of Australia’s ‘tyranny of distance’ is being eroded by a number of developments. These include heightened global significance and security risks of the near region, technological developments that enable farther force projection by a greater number of potential adversaries, increasingly interconnected systems that tie Australia’s prosperity and security to the wider world, and trans-boundary environmental challenges – particularly worsening climate change. As “the integrated force’s experts in land combat”[4] the Australian Army will need to adapt to the changing character of geographical isolation as a defence consideration and the related emerging issues that will characterise the future security landscape. This essay will look at these issues and how they will affect the force structure and priorities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in general and the Army in particular.

The clearest aspect of the erosion of the tyranny of distance is the shift in global geopolitics that has led to Australia’s near region becoming increasingly tense and significant. In particular, the challenge China presents to American hegemony is a defining feature of current major power politics and the geographical epicentre of this power dynamic is in the Indo-Pacific. In light of this, the region is experiencing an unprecedented military buildup, described by the National Defence Strategy (NDS) as “taking place without strategic reassurance or transparency.”[5] This increases the risk of a military escalation or “miscalculation” occurring on Australia’s northern doorstep.[6] Against this contingency, the Army must be prepared to deploy locally, in littoral environments, and working harmoniously with neighbouring allies. The nature of the Army as a land based force with high survivability and the ability to disperse in small groups without high-maintenance equipment is an asset in this task.[7]

Beyond the geopolitical situation, technological advancements are also working to erode the protection Australia has enjoyed historically from its geographical isolation. The Defence Strategic Review (DSR) notes that “The rise of the ‘missile age’ in modern warfare, crystallised by the proliferation of long-range precision strike weapons, has radically reduced Australia’s geographic benefits, the comfort of distance and our qualitative regional capability edge”.[8] While it is generally agreed that the threat of a kinetic strike on Australia’s shores remains remote,[9] Australia remains vulnerable to the use of force outside its borders, such as against its SLOC and trade and supply routes.[10] The Army in particular will be instrumental in establishing a long range strike capability in the north of Australia to defend against this vulnerability.

The increasingly globalised and interconnected world and ‘grey zone’ tactics such as economic coercion and information warfare, mean that Australia’s security and national interests can now be targeted in ways outside of kinetic constraints. The NDS notes that “Australia’s economic prosperity and security remain intimately tied to developments in the international system and the maintenance of global peace and stability.”[11] In light of this, the DSR “calls for genuine whole-of-government coordination of Defence policy and activities with our wider efforts in statecraft.”[12] This is a perspective shift for the whole ADF towards deeper integration not only between domains and services, but also with external government and civilian entities with a view to National Defence, described as a broader concept encompassing whole-of-government and whole-of-nation activity as opposed to the traditional and more segregated notion of ‘Defence of Australia’.[13] In light of this, the Army will not only continue to provide expertise in land based force, but also understand and integrate with a broad perspective on wider National Defence.

The last challenge to the ‘tyranny of distance’ that has protected Australia is that of trans-boundary threats, the most pressing of which is anthropogenic climate change. As an island nation, Australia has historically been protected from many of the types of environmental challenges that have caused geopolitical tension in other countries, such as the management of water resources that cross state lines or natural resource or disaster driven migration over country borders. As the scale of human impact on the natural environment escalates, the types of risks that are threatening national security are increasingly global in scale. For Australia, concerns include increased congestion of the space domain with the consequent risk of dangerous space debris, degradation of marine resources such as overfishing, and climate change. The Defence Net Zero Strategy highlights climate change as “a national security issue” that could pose “risks to Australia’s national interests and could impede Defence’s ability to achieve its primary objective of defending Australia.”[14] The Army of the future will be operating in increasingly extreme climactic conditions and at risk of second degree threats of regional instability exacerbated by natural disasters and resource competition.

The issue of climate change, however, also provides a case study in how the decreasing tyranny of distance provides new opportunities for Australia. The same Defence Net Zero Strategy states that “The stability of Pacific Island nations, severely affected by these [climate change] impacts, is critical to Australia’s national security interests. Our regional relationships and influence hinge on our commitment to achieving net zero emissions”.[15] Australia is a wealthy, educated, and geographically fortunate country when it comes to clean energy resources. With these resources comes a unique and powerful opportunity to establish itself as a leader in the region in the clean energy transition, with economic benefits and geopolitical good will cementing our security-significant regional relationships. The Army’s role here will be in being a visible presence in the region in support of whole-of-government National Defence and statecraft, and humanitarian assistance if required. Again, the Army’s flexibility and ability to deploy without large high maintenance equipment is an asset.

Another security benefit of increased globalisation and international integration is of the communication and collaboration with international partners. As a middle power and a nation whose prosperity depends on oceangoing activity,[16] Australia has long prioritised strong security relationships with other nations. The logistics of sustaining military effort in Australia’s near region is particularly challenging due to the distances involved and the maritime nature of the environment. As a consequence of this, “Military sustainment in the Indo-Pacific region has become an international effort” and Australia’s capability is strengthened through agreements with its neighbours.[17] The Australian Army Contribution to the National Defence Strategy (The Army Contribution) states that “The Army has long-standing relationships with the security forces and armies of our key ally and partners, many of which span decades.”[18] These longstanding relationships, along with emerging and future relationships, are a core part of Australia’s National Defence.

The final and perhaps most important outcome of the erosion of ‘distance’ as a defining feature of Australia’s security, is of the increased incentive to maintain peace and a rules based global order. Many of the concerns Australia is facing in a globally interdependent world – technologically-enhanced far-reaching force projection and escalating trans-boundary environmental threats – are also being faced by other nation states both in our near region and further abroad. As The Army Contribution reiterates, “the enduring human nature of war is: brutal, violent, and without compromise.”[19] As economic integration builds international prosperity, technological advances increase the long range capability and lethality of weapons, and the environment is under increasing strain from human activity, both the moral and pragmatic incentive to avoid a kinetic conflict is heightened. The Army’s role in deterrence and regional stability maintenance includes continuing expertise in land force and broader integration with whole-of-government initiatives in National Defence.

In conclusion, Australia’s security landscape has historically been strongly informed by its geographical isolation. This has in many ways been a defensive asset; Australia has been distant from major conflicts and militarily superior nation states, the expense and difficulty of a kinetic attack on the continent has been a strong deterrent, and environmental risks generally did not reach Australia’s shores. Shifts in the geopolitical situation, technological advances, increased globalisation and international integration, and climate change are all eroding these traditional security benefits. With these challenges also come new opportunities and a more pressing incentive for the maintenance of peace. The Army will remain the ADF’s and Australia’s source of expertise in land based force. In this new security environment, this will involve increased littoral capability, able to operate in the significantly maritime Indo-Pacific, and long range missile capability in the north of Australia. The Army, along with the wider ADF, will also be an active part of a broader perspective shift to National Defence prioritising integration and cooperation across whole-of-government and whole-of-nation to respond to the complex ‘grey zone’ and coercive statecraft based threats that Australia now faces.

End Notes

[1] S Kuper, From a tyranny of distance to Australia forward: The evolution of Australia’s strategic policy (Part 1), Defence Connect, 2019, accessed 2 November 2024