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PICT2012 Assignment 1 - Policy Memo answer
Modern Warfare (PICT 2012)
Macquarie University
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PICT2012 Assignment 1
Policy Memo
Harry Barnum
Student Number – 45876509
To: Peter Dutton, Australian Minister of Defence
From: Harry Barnum, Advisor to Australian Minister of Defence
Subject: Freedom of Navigation Patrol in the South China Sea
Date: Thursday, 2nd of September 2021
Background
Rising tensions as a result of the dispute surrounding the maritime region of the South China Sea has brought forward pressure from the United States of America for Australia to respond to China’s continued aggression within the region. Most recently China’s military “drove away” a United States warship that they claimed entered Chinese waters illegally, however these waters as ruled by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in 2016 have no historical grounds to be successfully claimed by China[ CITATION Alj21 \l 1033 ]. This is just one of the displays of aggression from China that has caused the United States to urge Australia to send a Navy vessel to perform Freedom of Navigation (FON) operations in the South China Sea in the near future.
Policy Objectives
The central policy objective of this memo is to determine an appropriate course of action for an Australian Navy vessel to successfully conduct a FON operation in the South China Sea. This will further support the 2016 ruling made by the PCA that the waters are not accepted as Chinese claimed waters and display agreement with the United States by performing a similar operation that they conducted earlier this year. The added ambition from this objective will be for a change in China’s provocative behaviour in the region and for them to abide by the obligations of the international law surrounding the South China Sea.
Analysis
The following analysis will identify and analyse the political and strategic factors that will impact upon this policy’s objectives while addressing the most appropriate courses of action for Australia in this scenario. Australia has two main courses of action in response to China’s continued provocative behaviour in the South China Sea, those being, to go forward with performing a FON operation in the waters that have been ruled to not be claimed by China and in doing so support the United States continued same operations in the region. Australia also has the option to perform Naval operations surrounding the South China Sea without intrusion of the debated zone but to publicly state Australia is holding the intention to conduct the FON operations should China continue to push out the US and other nations while they conduct their own legal operations.
The first of approach of going ahead straight away with a FON operation will directly achieve the initial policy goal of displaying our support of the United States and their aim
showing of support for the ruling against China’s historical claims over the region made in 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. For these reasons, this recommended course of action will be best served in effectively achieving this policy’s objectives.
Word Count: 1028
References Aljazeera, 2021. Aljazeera. [Online] Available at: aljazeera/news/2021/7/12/china-military-drove-away-us-warship-in- south-china-sea [Accessed 2 September 2021].
Department of Defence, 2020. 2020 Defence Strategic Update, Canberra: Australian Government.
Department of Defense, 2020. Annual Freedom of Navigation Report, Washington: United States Government.
Dziedzic, S. & Greene, A., 2020. ABC. [Online] Available at: abc.net/news/2020-07-27/australia-pressured-to-participate-in-south- china-sea-operation/ [Accessed 4 September 2021].
Smith, J. M., 2021. Foreign Policy. [Online] Available at: foreignpolicy/2021/02/16/biden-south-china-sea-spratlys/ [Accessed 3 September 2021].
PICT2012 Assignment 1 - Policy Memo answer
Course: Modern Warfare (PICT 2012)
University: Macquarie University
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