Fed: Extra 2,600 soldiers for army=7

AAP General News (Australia)
08-24-2006
Fed: Extra 2,600 soldiers for army=7

Mr Howard said he made the assessment about Australia's military needs based on recent
incidents in the region that showed the security situation was deteriorating.

He said the boosted army was designed to allow the government to act pre-emptively
to stop problems in the region.

"Look at what happened in East Timor, look at what happened in the Solomon Islands
and think back a few years to Fiji," Mr Howard said.

"Think of Vanuatu, think of the inherently unstable situation in Papua New Guinea.

"I think it has been bad for some time and I think in some respects it has got worse.

"I think the speed of the deterioration in East Timor was greater than many people expected."

Mr Howard said it was overwhelmingly in Australia's interest to stop states failing
and deal in a pre-emptive fashion with problems in the region.

"And that is what we are designing this to do," he said.

"And I have very much in mind the experiences in East Timor, the Solomons, the worry
I continue to have about Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu," he said.

Mr Howard said Australia had in the past received assistance from other countries in
the region, such as New Zealand, but the Pacific region was considered "Australia's patch".

"We are overwhelmingly expected to carry the greater bulk of the load, both with military
personnel and also with police," he said.

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