David Watt, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section
Australia in Afghanistan
Currently, Australia’s largest international military
commitment comprises approximately 1550 ADF personnel deployed to
Afghanistan as part of Operation Slipper. This is Australia’s
contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF). The main focus of ADF activities in Afghanistan is
the mentoring and training of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and
the provision of protection for military and civilian personnel
involved in reconstruction activities.
During April 2010 Australia announced that it would increase its
civilian personnel numbers in Afghanistan from 25 to approximately
50. An Australian civilian is the head of the Uruzgan Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) and there are personnel from AusAID, the
Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade in Uruzgan.
Background
Australia first committed military personnel to Afghanistan in
October 2001 after the 11 September attacks on the World Trade
Centre. Prime Minister John Howard invoked Article VI of the ANZUS
Treaty in support of Australia’s involvement—the only
time the Treaty has been invoked. The Australian Parliament
supported the commitment on 17 September 2001.
Between 2006 and August 2010 Australia worked in partnership
with the Netherlands in Uruzgan. Mutual agreement about the
emphasis placed on mentoring and reconstruction activities and the
high regard for the Dutch military made this a positive
relationship. Therefore, the withdrawal by the Netherlands of its
military forces during August 2010 (acting on an earlier decision)
was not particularly welcomed by Australia, which stressed, on more
than one occasion, its desire for the Dutch to continue in their
role of senior partner in the province.
The Dutch withdrawal also led to concerns about who would take
the lead role in Uruzgan, something Australia was unwilling to do.
The announcement by the Minister for Defence in June 2010 that
Australia would become part of a US-led multi-national command
structure (Combined Team Uruzgan, CTU) provided some certainty
about the future of our role in the province.
The CTU continues to operate as part of the ISAF. While the
number of Australian military personnel remains steady at
approximately 1550 personnel and Australia continues to mentor and
train the ANA 4th Brigade under these arrangements,
Australia’s troops now have an increased role in the
protection of civilian personnel. In addition to this, the April
2010 dispatch of a further six AFP officers to Uruzgan to assist
with the training of the Afghan National Police brought the total
number of Australian police officers to 28.
Why we are in Afghanistan
Australia has always justified involvement in Afghanistan by
stressing that our own national security is greatly enhanced by
denying al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups a haven, and that this
is best done by helping to build a more secure and democratic
Afghanistan. As the Minister for Defence said in his June 2010
statement to Parliament:
Our fundamental objective in Afghanistan is to combat a
clear threat from international terrorism to both international
security and our own national security. Australia cannot afford,
and Australians cannot afford, to let Afghanistan again become a
safe haven and training ground for terrorist organisations
....
Where to from here?
The Minister for Defence has stated that Australia hopes to
transfer control of the security situation in Uruzgan to the ANA in
two to four years. During the July 2010 International Conference on
Afghanistan in Kabul, countries contributing to the ISAF endorsed
the Afghan Government’s plan to take control of its own
security by 2014. However, this timetable is dependent on the ANA
and Afghan National Police being sufficiently trained and capable
of accepting responsibility for the security of Uruzgan.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) figures
indicate that 7324 civilians have been killed as a result of
fighting between the beginning of 2007 and the end of June 2010
(accurate figures are impossible to provide for the early years of
the conflict). Approximately three quarters of these deaths were
caused by anti-government forces.
As at mid-September 2010, Australia has suffered 21 combat
deaths since the war began in 2001 and spent $6.1 billion on its
military presence in Afghanistan. The ongoing support from both the
ALP and the Coalition for Australia’s continued deployment
has meant that, with the exception of the Defence Minister’s
regular statements to the Parliament, there has been relatively
little parliamentary debate on the war. However, the mid-2010 spike
in casualties has led to an increase in calls for deeper
parliamentary consideration of the issue. As a result of the
post-election agreement between the government and the Australian
Greens, this seems likely to occur early during the first sitting
of the new parliament.
Questions continue to be raised about Australia’s
involvement in Afghanistan. Are our stated reasons for being there
sufficient to justify the ongoing casualties and the substantial
financial cost? This has become an increasingly significant
question in light of the long-standing criticism by some
commentators that denying jihadist terrorists a base in Afghanistan
will not significantly affect their capacity to operate. This is
coupled with growing skepticism about the international
community’s ability to deliver a stable security
infrastructure for Afghanistan by 2014 and ongoing concerns about
corruption at many levels throughout the Afghan governance
structure. Equally, if we accept that Australian troops should
continue their involvement in Afghanistan, there is the question of
whether Australia’s commitment is sufficient to complete the
task.
Perhaps most importantly, when Australia does withdraw, there
will need to be agreed criteria by which to judge the success or
failure of the mission.
Library publications and key documents
N Brangwin, Australia’s military
involvement in Afghanistan since 2001: a chronology,
Background Note, 2010–11, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 16
July 2010.
http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/bn/fads/MilitaryInvolvement_Afghanistan.pdf
J Faulkner, Ministerial Statement: Afghanistan,
Senate, Debates, p. 4183, 23 June 2010, 2010,http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F2010-06-23%2F0207%22
P Katel, ‘America at war: can withdrawal
from Afghanistan begin next July?’, CQ Researcher,
vol. 20, no. 6,
23 July 2010, pp. 605–628,
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22library%2Fjrnart%2F5UEX6%22
R Khosa, ‘Australia’s commitment in
Afghanistan: moving to a more comprehensive approach’,
Policy Analysis, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 31
August 2010.
http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/publication_details.aspx?ContentID=265&pubtype=9