Force Expansion and Warning Time

Abstract

The twin notions of force expansion and warning time have been integral to Australia�s defence planning since the 1970s. Yet over the years the focus on these issues has been neither strong nor consistent�perhaps for good reason, given that the prospect of the need for major force expansion has been seen as remote. But with the new Age of Asia, Australia�s strategic environment is changing. This article reviews the treatment of force expansion and warning time in Australia�s five Defence White Papers, and discusses the extent to which the rise of China should be a catalyst for a review of force expansion policies. Finding a position between complacency and alarm, it concludes that Defence should conduct at least a preliminary view of how Australia should identify and respond to a more threatening posture by any potential major power adversary, and to present the conclusions in the 2013 Defence White Paper. Show more