With Chinese military forces asserting aggressive maneuvers in the South China Sea and maritime approaches, the risk of escalation is seriously increasing. With threats made against Taiwan by President Xi Jinping, western nations are increasingly concerned. The lack of a consistent approach by the Trump Administration raises further concerns, there is no strategic direction, instead an approach mired in a series of chaotic missteps and uncertainty.
The Indonesian islands provide a defensive barrier for warships approaching Australia’s northern and western approaches with Sumatra, Java, and the smaller islands of Bali, Lombok, West and East Nusa Tenggara, through to Timor-Leste providing a barrier. Papua New Guinea and West Papua provide protection for Queensland and the Northern Territory. Naturally, this does not protect Australia from ballistic missiles fired from the Chinese mainland.
The infrastructure in the North West of Australia includes oil and gas fields, iron ore load-out facilities and iron ore mines. This is serious economic infrastructure, attacking and destroying this places whole industries in jeopardy. Western Australia lacks military bases, airforce bases to begin with, air power in the form of fighter jets, there are no F-35 or F/A-18 on the west coast. Neither is reconnaissance aircraft based in Western Australia including E-7A Wedgetail electronic warfare, P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol, and MC-55A Peregrine, as well as the unmanned MQ-4C Triton aircraft.
The key to the defensive strategy is area denial, ships traversing through the Indonesian islands could be detected early with bottlenecks between islands creating a target rich environment. With upgraded infrastructure on Cocos-Keeling Islands and Christmas Island. This should include radar systems to track shipping, where fighter aircraft can operate, and missile defences. Air defence systems should be based on the islands to protect the region as well as an army contingent to protect the island from invasion. I reckon that would be a pretty good posting for defence force personnel too, sure the nightlife will be quiet for the young ones, but the location would be idyllic.
