Australia warned it needs to start thinking about defending itself from ballistic missile attack

April 28, 2017

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

A recent academic paper published by the Australian Defence College argues the military needs to better understand ballistic-missile defence, amid the growing threat posed by North Korea.

The research, authored by RAAF Group Captain Alan Lawrence, asserts “North Korea’s increasingly credible capability” to test nuclear weapons and ballistic-missile systems “heightens the risk of miscalculation and conflict on the Korean Peninsula, which would have a significant impact on Australia’s national interests”.

The 25-page academic work, which does not formally reflect the view of Defence or the Government, is entitled: “What are the potential policy options for Australia in dealing with a nuclear-armed North Korea?”, and argues new diplomatic and military options must be progressed.

The document stresses the ADF must develop a better understanding of ballistic-missile defence, including personnel exchanges with US ballistic-missile defence forces.

It argues increased participation in high-intensity exercises with US and South Korean forces would also “be useful in the event that the ADF is required to assist in operations on the Korean Peninsula”.

Most of the policy recommendations focus on developing a new diplomatic approach towards Pyongyang, which the paper argues would require an international acknowledgment of North Korea’s status as a nuclear state…

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