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   From: oO@oO.com   
      
   Australian government unveils military restructure and new callout powers   
   By Mike Head   
   17 December 2005   
   At a media conference staged in a Sydney military barracks this week, Prime   
   Minister John Howard and Defence Minister Robert Hill released plans to   
   expand and restructure the Australian armed forces for greater use against   
   civilians, both at home and abroad.   
      
   The announcement underscores the government's drive to reshape the military   
   to aggressively pursue interventions across the Asia-Pacific region, as well   
   as continue to participate in US-led operations worldwide, while giving it   
   unprecedented powers to use lethal force domestically.   
      
   Hill spoke of a "big picture of unpredictability" in which the "current high   
   demands" on the military forces were likely to continue and they "can expect   
   to conduct concurrent deployments domestically, regionally and   
   internationally".   
      
   Under a blueprint entitled The Hardened and Networked Army, spending on the   
   army will be boosted by a further $1.5 billion over the next 10 years. Troop   
   numbers will increase by 1,500 to 28,000 and they will be re-organised into   
   rapid readiness battle groups that can be dispatched quickly overseas or   
   within Australia. Likewise, the Reserve forces will be revamped to have   
   2,800 troops in small units on standby for swift deployment.   
      
   One of the most significant aspects of the restructuring is the focus on   
   global and regional operations in urban environments, like the towns and   
   villages of Afghanistan, Iraq and the Solomon Islands, where Australian   
   troops have been sent since 2001. "The battlefield has become more complex,"   
   the document asserts. "It is characterised by close combat in cities and   
   villages against adversaries who hide within the local civilian population."   
      
   The associated Defence Update 2005 reaffirms the identification of   
   "defeating the threat of terrorism, countering the proliferation of WMD and   
   supporting regional states in difficulty" as the military's highest   
   priorities. It also emphasises the government's renewed commitment of troops   
   to Afghanistan and its indefinite involvement in the US-led occupation of   
   Iraq.   
      
   In other words, despite the collapse of the WMD (weapons of mass   
   destruction) fabrications utilised to invade Iraq, the government is   
   determined to keep utilising the "war on terrorism" and the alleged danger   
   of "failed states" in the Pacific to justify an array of overseas   
   operations, which are also being used to train and condition soldiers for   
   urban combat.   
      
   A week earlier, Hill unveiled the details of major amendments to the   
   military call-out legislation, which was originally introduced in 2000 on   
   the pretext of needing to have thousands of soldiers on hand to protect the   
   Sydney Olympic Games. The Defence (Aid to Civilian Authorities) Bill has   
   been sent to the Senate for a quick inquiry with a February deadline.   
      
   Its measures will expand the government's ability to mobilise troops   
   internally and give the military unprecedented domestic powers, including   
   far wider and legally protected rights to "shoot to kill" and new powers to   
   interrogate civilians and seize documents.   
      
   While fundamentally overturning the centuries-old principle against the   
   internal use of troops against civilians, the existing military call-out   
   legislation limits deployments to where the government alleges a threat to   
   "Commonwealth interests" or a danger of "domestic violence" that is beyond   
   the capacity of state or territory police forces.   
      
   Although "domestic violence"-a term derived from the Constitution-is nowhere   
   defined legally, it is meant to relate to intense political, industrial or   
   social crises that imperil the very existence of the state. It could easily   
   cover a general strike or widespread movement against a government.   
      
   However, the changes will allow the air force and navy, as well as the army,   
   to be mobilised far more broadly and routinely to deal with lesser   
   incidents, including any alleged act or danger of terrorism. Because of the   
   extraordinarily wide official definition of terrorism, this could permit the   
   armed forces to be called against many traditional forms of political   
   protest, such as mass demonstrations, blockades and picket lines.   
      
   The Bill refers to "mobile terrorist incidents," allowing for military   
   mobilisations to roam across areas and jurisdictions, rather than being   
   confined to designated zones, as presently provided for. In addition, it   
   specifically covers threats to "critical infrastructure," such as public   
   transport and utilities, that are not Commonwealth, but state or territory   
   responsibilities, as well as any incidents in the air and offshore waters.   
      
   The procedures for calling out the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) will be   
   expedited so that in "sudden and extraordinary emergency" situations the   
   prime minister or two other ministers can give the order, which does not   
   need to be in writing. Moreover, standing orders will be issued for the   
   activation of the air force whenever the Chief of the Armed Forces deems it   
   necessary.   
      
   Over the past four years, the armed forces have already been used in   
   highly-publicised shows of strength, including air force jets and   
   helicopters flying overhead, during major political events, notably for the   
   2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Coolum, Queensland and US   
   President Bush's visit to Australia in 2003. Meanwhile, constant   
   counter-terrorism exercises have been conducted to condition the public to   
   the sight of heavily-armed commandos arriving by helicopters or assault   
   craft to storm buildings.   
      
   Until now, the government has simply claimed the "executive power" to   
   undertake such military operations. The explicit purpose of the new   
   provisions is to give ADF officers and members specific powers and provide   
   blanket immunity from legal action when their exercise results in death,   
   injury or loss. Once deployed, the military will be legally authorised to   
   shoot down aircraft, sink ships, use deadly force, demand answers to   
   questions and require the production of documents.   
      
      
   Shoot to kill   
      
   ADF personnel have "shoot to kill" powers under the existing legislation but   
   the use of such "reasonable and necessary force" is restricted to where they   
   believe it is needed to protect the life of, or prevent serious harm to,   
   another person. The changes will extend the use of lethal force to where it   
   is considered necessary to protect any infrastructure that the government   
   designates as "critical".   
      
   According to the Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the Bill, this power   
   may be used in alerts relating to mass transit systems, mass gatherings,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)