[dragoon500ly]

Just for grins, here is what the Military Balance and World Military Powers has to say about Australia at the start of the Twilight War (please! be gentle!!!)

Population: 15,438,000
Army: 32,850
1 infantry divisions (of 3 bdes of 2 inf bns ea)
1 armored regt
2 cavalry regts
4 artillery regiments (1 med, 2 field, 1 AD)
1 field engineer regt
1 construction regt
1 Special Air Services regiment
1 aviation regt
1 transport regiment
1 transport air support regt

103 Leopard 1A3 MBT
790 M-113 APC (includes 63 fitted with 76mm guns [48 w/Scorpion; 15
w/Saladin turrets])
34 5.5-inch guns
227 105mm hows
51 106mm RCLs
20 Rapier SAMs
16 Porter ac
11 Nomad ac
47 Bell 206B-1 helos
87 LARC-5 amph vehicles
(on order 36 M-198 155mm hows)
Reserves: 30,306

Navy: 17,146 (including Fleet Air Arm)
6 Oberon-class d-e subs
3 Perth-class destroyers
2 Adelaide-class frigates
6 River-class frigates
20 large patrol craft
2 Ton-class MCM
6 LCT
1 transport
1 destroyer tender
1 fleet tanker

Fleet Air Arm: 1,650
1 composite sqn with 7 S-2G, 2 HS-748 (ECM)
1 ASW sqn with 6 Sea King Mk 50
1 utility/SAR sqn with 16 Wessex 31B, 4 UH-1B, 4 Bell 206B helos
1 training sqn with 5 MB-326H, 2 TA-4G, 4 A-4G
In storage: 10 S-2G, 3 MB-326ac, 3 Wessex helo
(on order 2 Adelaide-class frigates, 6 large patrol craft, 2 MCM catamarans, 6 AS-530 helos, 2 Sea King helos)

Reserves: 1,200 with 5 small patrol craft, 1 LCT

Air Force: 22,477
2 FGA/recon sqns with 16 F-111C, 4 F-111A, 4 RF-111C
3 interceptor sqns with 56 Mirage IIIO
2 MR sqns with 10 P-3B, 10 P-3C
1 OCU sqn with 15 Mirage IIIO/D, 10 MB-326H
1 forward air controller flight with 6 CA-25 Winjeel
2 tpt sqns with 24 C-130E/H
1 tpt flight with 4 Boeing 707-338 (converting to tankers)
1 tpt sqn with 4 DHC-4 ac, 4 UH-1B helo
1 tpt sqn 15 DHC-4
1 tpt sqn with 2 BAC-111, 2 HS-748, 3 Mystere 20
1 med tpt helo sqn with 8 CH-47 Chinook
2 utility helo sqns with 35 UH-1B/H
Trainers include 64 MB-326H, 8 HS-748T2, 51 CT-4/4A
In storage: 4 CH-47 Chinook helos
(on order 75 F/A-18A FGA/interceptors, 10 P-3C MR/ASW, 12 AS-530 helos)
Reserves: 1,200


In 1957, Australia made a fundamental decision to relate the organization and the equipping of its armed forces to United States patterns, which was a major shift from Australia's traditional military relationship with the United Kingdom. While this did not mean any loosening of Australia's Commonwealth ties, it did mean that Australia was realistically conforming to the changed pattern of power in the Pacific and Southwest Asia, where Britain was deliberately reducing its military commitments and responsibilities.

Australia supported the now disbanded Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and its commitment to the defense of South Vietnam against Communist aggression. It sent troops to fight beside the Americans and South Vietnamese, while at the same time undertaking a civil program in SOuth Vietnam coordinated with those of the Vietnamese and American governments. In 1971, the Australian troop contingent was withdrawn. A new Labor Party government stopped all participation in the Indochina War in 1972.

The announced withdrawl of most United Kingdom forces from Southeast Asia in 1972 posed a difficult problem for Australia, with its limited population. However, the Five-Power Pact of 1971 has provided a solution that appears satisfactory to all concerned: Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Australia's contribution to the Australia-New Zealand-U.K. (ANZUK) Force consists of units of the three nations, some on permanent station and some on rotation. With headquarters in Singapore, units also serve in Malaysia. In emergency, the bulk of the five-power forces would come from Malaysia and Singapore.

Several years after World War II, Australia abandoned wartime conscription and returned to a policy of voluntary enlistment. This failed to provide adequate manpower and in 1965 Australia returned to a limited selective service system, in which young men served for 18 months followed by 3 years in the reserve. Conscription was abolished again in 1972.

In general, due to Australia's remoteness from the conflicts of Europe and Asia and its insular geography, strategic problems have been relatively minor. However, with the British decision to withdraw from Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, and the impact of modern weapons and transportation technologies, Australia has become more directly concerned with affairs in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia.

Australians are worried about the attraction that their large, rich and sparsely populated country has for the overpopulated nations of East and Southeast Asia. They are particularly concerned that Indonesia, having obtained West Irian (western New Guinea) from the Netherlands, may wish to extend farther eastward to threaten formerly Australian Papua New Guinea. Australia opposed Indonesian incorporation of formerly Portuguese East Timor in 1976.

There are also possibly long term strategic implications in the growing dependence of the Australian economy on trade with Japan. In 1976, a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was signed with Japan.

Australia has recently become concerned about Soviet expansion into the Indian Ocean. In 1976 the new Liberal-National government began a five-year $15 billion program to enlarge and update the armed services.

On a wholly cooperative basis, Australia exchanges students at military schools with the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United States and exchanges information with these nations within existing alliances. Otherwise, Australia is not the recipient of any formal military assistance.

Australia provided $40.6 million in military assistance to both Malaysia and Singapore between 1964 and 1969. This was accomplished through training missions, either by training in Australia or by transfer of equipment.

Australia is a member of four major overlapping alliances. First, as a member of the Commonwealth, Australia maintains close military ties with the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and to a lesser extent with Canada and the other Commonwealth nations, and it is a member of the Five-Power Pact.

Second, Australia has had a bilateral mutual assistance treaty with the US since 1951. Third, there have been formal and informal cooperative bilateral defense arrangements between Australia and New Zealand, aside from their Commonwealth relationship, since World War II. Fourth, these two bilateral relationships were linked together formally in the Australia-New Zealand-United States (ANZUS) Treaty in 1952.