About 100 aircraft and 2500 military personnel from 17 nations will arrive in Australia’s Northern Territory in mid-August to commence Exercise Pitch Black 2022.

With a four-year hiatus since the last Pitch Black due to the global pandemic, this year’s exercise will see a return of the combined force to Australian skies, “enhancing interoperability and strengthening relationships”.

“International participation in Exercise Pitch Black, from within the Indo-Pacific region and further abroad, provides all nations’ personnel with experience in working with aircraft, systems and work practices, in northern Australia’s unique environment, that would otherwise be unfamiliar,” Group Captain Peter Wood, Pitch Black 2022 Director Engagement, was quoted as saying.

According to this statement:

“Exercise Pitch Black is Air Force’s biennial capstone international engagement activity with key strategic partners. Besides the hosting Royal Australian Air Force, this year’s participants include air forces from NATO members Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, NATO Partners New Zealand, Republic of Korea and the United Arab Emirates as well from Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Participating air forces will be operating out of RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal primarily, supported by RAAF Base Amberley.

Multinational live-fly exercises offer a unique opportunity for Allied and Partner air forces to hone their flying skills and enhance common tactics, techniques and procedures indispensable for operating alongside each other in real-world missions. By inviting NATO Allies to conduct interoperability training with Partners and other regional air forces in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia has created an opportunity for bringing the air forces together and promoting mutual understanding of global security issues.”

Since 2005, NATO and Australia have been engaged in dialogue and cooperation. Australia is one of a range of countries beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, often referred to as “partners across the globe”.

The Alliance say here that priorities in NATO-Australia relations include upholding the international rules-based order, and enhancing interoperability between NATO and Australia.

“Cooperation is underpinned by regular high-level political dialogue. Australia is an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, alongside Finland, Georgia, Jordan, Sweden and Ukraine.”

You can read more here.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
Twitter

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

174 COMMENTS

        • So our continuing efforts to provide almost daily intel flights, the voyagers flying in support of NATO air policing missions, our transport fleet re-supplying Ukraine in addition to all the usual commitments is all happening with a shortage of pilots?
          Yes we have a pilot training pipeline blockage that we almost all agree is a monumental cock up, but I don’t think you can be so dismissive of the RAF, who as ever just get on with it, despite long hours etc I can assure you the guys serving relish the chance to do what they are trained for.

        • Any use?

          Typhoons and F35 in Cyprus and Eastern Europe.

          A400 & C17 on constant shuttle runs to Poland and back.

          Rivet Joints 2 or 3 times a week on the periphery of Russia.

          C17s as we speak going to and from Pakistan and Romania bringing “something” to help Ukraine. It is believed 155mm ammunition that Pakistan make for Soviet era guns.

          And I won’t go on as just seen Tarnish demolish your moaning further down.

          • Hi Daniele,
            Completely agree with your reply. What utter claptrap that post by Marked is. Even main stream media have articles about the activities of the RAF.
            How many other nations are that busy with deployments around the globe, and support given in a war in heart of Europe? Your comment is spot on mate!

          • Really? What ever. That’s what the Twitter report suggested is being transported, 155mm. They got the wrong mm then!

    • That was what was originally reported, however if you take a glance at UK Defence in India on Twitter you will see that a voyager, 4 typhoons and an A400M had a layover in Delhi two nights ago.

      • Which, incidentally, would make our contribution on par with that of France and Germany, each with a handful of Typhoon / Rafale, a voyager and a supporting A400M / CN-235.

    • The UK is leading the effort to arm Ukraine and defend NATO from further Russian aggression. They are doing more than all other NATO countries besides the U.S. with their limited resources. The EU countries could learn a thing or 2 from the Brits when it comes to defense.

  2. Stop the pussyfooting around and just expand the treaty remit to allow countries like Australia to join NATO, make it a global alliance of law-abiding democracies and not just an Atlantic focussed one.

    • I don’t think we in Australia would want to be a full NATO member, we have a close and special relationship with NATO and various individual member nations.

      I can’t see being a full NATO member is going to help us in our part of the world.

      • Why wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t just see Australia as a potential member, NZ, Japan, Singapore, any freedom living democracy. We just be standing up to all authoritarian militaristic regimes that seek to intimidate their neighbours. If Russia succeeds in Ukraine then China will be emboldened. If China succeeds with Taiwan, Russia will look beyond Ukraine.

        • NZ might be a bad example. They’re not to be relied upon on matters of China. Given their geography, that matters a lot.

        • I think ANZ have had enough of automatic inclusion in European wars. NATO requires said automatic inclusion. Australia & to a lesser extent NZ have spent more time at war in the last 125 years than any European nation currently in NATO (including UK). If UK, Canada or USA is directly attacked, they may well respond. Do they want to do the same for say – Estonia? Both nations have responded to the war in Ukraine. Militarily, Australia has supplied more equipment & quicker (flown in by C17) than some large European NATO nations & all of it has been current equipment, in use by front line forces.

          Besides, what makes you think that most of NATO wants to be dragged into an Asian war? Some will be, but not because they are part of NATO. UK, France, Canada & USA have commitments that either predate NATO or were organised outside of NATO. They also have the means of fighting elsewhere. How does the likes of Slovakia get to Asia & what would they realistically do when they got there?

          To be honest, I don’t think many NATO members have even given much thought to the reverse of North America coming to the aid of Europe.

          • ANZ were not automatically included in WW2 they chose to be involved. It was also not a European war but a world war, and even had they chosen not to be involved against Germany and Italy, Japan certainly intended to drag them into the conflagration.

            So you think a nation could only come to another nations assistance, if attacked, if they happen to speak the same language… Funny enough that’s one of Putin’s preposterous justifications for invading Ukraine.
            Or is that that Anglo-Saxon nations should only come to the aid of other Anglo-Saxon nations? That’s a little bit racist don’t you think?

            I would hope that freedom loving democratic nations would stand together through their commonality of beliefs and values. Not depending on tongue or ancestry. And I’ve think we’ve seen that already in part, by the amount of military assistance given by democracies to the Ukraine. I’ve no doubt if bound together in a mutual defence treaty, such as NATO, that they would honour it.
            As things stand, the ONLY reason why Putin invaded Ukraine instead of the Baltic states, is because Ukraine wasn’t in NATO. Being a member of NATO gives that guarantee of assistance, enough to keep even the likes of Putin at bay.

            As for you’re claim that:-
            “I don’t think many NATO members have even given much thought to the reverse of North America coming to the aid of Europe”
            Well you’re wrong. Not only have they thought about it, they did it after 9/11 in the invasion of Afghanistan. The one time a NATO member has activated Article V, requesting assistance, it was the USA. And Europe responded.

            An isolationist stance as you appear to propose, only weakens a country, leaving it vulnerable to attack.

          • I know Daniele – I rather thought John N. might have forgot.

            New Zealanders were massacred on Crete after surrendering in 1941. They served with distinction everywhere they fought in two world wars. 

          • Apologies Barry, I thought it odd that you might be unaware!

            Crete yes. I’ve visited General Freyburgs grave which is just south of Guildford at St Martha’s Church.

          • Freyberg took the surrender at Tunis I believe. I get fed up with people who fail to appreciate the contribution of allies. No need for an apology. You do a great job hereabouts. I have learned much.

          • Hi DM, I felt obliged to add in the 6th SA Armored Division in the Italian campaign. My dad served with 1 SSB(Special Service battalion) as a Sherman tank co driver/ machine gunner.

            They liberated Florence in 1945, although the claim is contested by the kiwis( in good mateship).

            My research indicates a South African armoured regiment (SA Imperial Light Horse) secured the Ponte Vecchio bridge and entered the city first.

          • Absolutely! South Africa had many units in
            8th Army, which was multi national throughout the African and Italian campaigns.

            My ZX Spectrum computer games taught me many of the unit names.

            I find it interesting that the units of
            2nd Army involved in the D Day operation onwards when France Belgium Holland were liberated were mostly if not all British.

          • Thanks DM. A piece of trivia I stumbled across…. The Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille “commandeered” a black Zulu SA pow Corporal Mathew Letuku (Mathias) as his personal batman. It’s assumed he did this to save him from execution, bein a black African. After Marseille’s death, the squadron kept the guy “hidden” and he survived.

        • sorry to jump on your thread Barry. As a South African expat, I thought to mention the 6th SA Armoured division fought alongside the Kiwis ‘ 44 to 45.

          • You are not. This is interesting. My feeling when I read of the contributions made by all sorts of countries to the Allied war effort – ‘Don’t forget the Canadians!’ wrote Sir John Keegan – I am convinced the cleverest idea was to arrive late and bring a film industry.

    • Not sure more in NATO is a good idea, especially countries like NZ that bring zero to the table but would be yet another point of potential failure. Remember NATO needs unanimous agreement to take action. I think a triple alliance with Canada Australia and the UK with some form of integration of naval and space capability able to plug in to US fleets and commands while maintaining NATO as our principal army and air force alliance is the way ahead. That would give us a framework to work around in the Indo pacific and Euro Atlantic offering the US a great partner but one that’s big enough to have its own position and not be subservient to US interests.

      • With that mercenary thinking you’d throw the Baltics, Belgium, Luxembourg, etc out of NATO too…

        A bigger failure would be not defending NZ and letting China or whoever secure it as a major South Pacific base on the doorstep to Australia.

        • No, NZ issues has nothing to do with its size and everything to do with its politics. Much the same as Ireland. They bring nothing but weaken the group. Even their location is hardly strategic. It’s about how worst place China could try and invade or set up a base. The Solomons would be a much greater threat.

          But just to reiterate I have no issue with NATO countries I just don’t see any point in expanding the alliance beyond Europe and I see NATO as the key focus for our army and air force however I see a need for an additional alliance framework for us to operate in the Indo pacific with Canada and Australia and the USA but it’s primarily a naval arrangement for us.

          • Which politics? Remember that the leader of the Labour Party at the last general election was anti-NATO and wanted to withdraw from it. You can’t dismiss a country because of a few politicians.
            Why should the burden of ensuring peace and free trade just fall on English speaking nations. Sure Belgium wouldn’t have much to contribute, but the French and Italian navies are pretty potent. And the Poles look like they’re going to become Europe’s leading land-power. In any confrontation against China, we’re going to need as many allies as possible.

          • The leader of the UK opposition had some personal feelings about NATO that never got any where near Labour Party policy and certainly no where near government. When your foreign minister continues to make bold speeches against your ally and in favour of their greatest enemy and is willing to overlook genocide then your government has made a foreign policy decision that can and should matter. Words very much matter in foreign policy. NZ is entitled to go it’s own way but it is now time to show it the door. My understanding in five eyes is this is already largely the case with NZ being sidelined.

            Again not saying we should leave NATO but NATO is an integrated command system in Europe and the North Atlantic. It’s got little to offer east of suez. We should have a different command structure in the region with more useful partners and it should be naval focused rather than land focused. France can come along for sure but adding in people like Germany much less Hungry only gives China more room to politically incapacitate the western alliance. NATO only needs one member to vote no and the that’s it for the use of the alliance and its assets. Do you really think such a large European group of countries could rapidly come up with a common position on Taiwan or the South China Sea in the event of a crisis. The same people that were buying as much Russian gas as they could get their hands on even after Russian started invading their neighbour’s.

          • No. Corbyn has a deep seated hatred of NATO, the alliance that defeated his beloved workers paradise, the USSR. In office he would have done anything possible to undermine, destabilise and weaken it. And he would have been helped by all those other far left nut jobs; Abbot, Lamy, Gardiner, etc.
            So you believe a government has never enacted legislation that wasn’t first endorsed as party policy and published in a manifesto? You’re not that naive.

            So your giving up on a country because a minister you can’t name said something which you can’t quote and some place and time you don’t know, without any context, about a nation you can’t name that is the enemy of another unarmed nation?!?!?
            Are you always this forgetful?!?!

          • You think the entire Momentum party-in-party shut down and disappeared after Corbyn was thrown out of Labour? That all the Labour members and MPs who campaigned for and voted for Corbyn to become Labour leader have given up on their hard-left views overnight?
            Bless.

          • Jeez you jump to conclusions don’t you? Only unsweetened almond milk left for your morning brew? If you think labour will put UK membership of NATO at risk you are crackers. There are nut jobs in every party and as always they get moderated. Labour under Corbyn got nowhere near power so even the crazy fears that so many had about hard left came nowhere near to fruition

          • No conclusions, just stating the facts as is. And the hard-left that put Corbyn as leader of Labour are still there in the party, running the NEC, running unions, etc. The party is still in favour of other crazy ideas… such as socialism 🤦🏻‍♂️

            Is “almond milk” such a thing? How on earth do you milk an almond FFS? 🤷🏻‍♂️

            BTW Forget your morning diazepam by any chance?

          • But they’ll never get in power with those at the forefront. They’ll be moderated. The modern electorate don’t vote in radicals, UKIP came and went as an example as did the BNP. Normal folk don’t want it.

            Diazepam all fine, it was my morning rectal drain I missed. Anus is as itchy as a sailor’s prince albert after shore leave in pattaya

          • Really? There’s just as many nutters on Tory benches too, it’s just that they have fruitcake ideas on other topics. Unfortunately while they tend to be on the backbenches, ministers can still end up pushing some of their less extreme policies in order to secure their votes in tight debates.
            No matter which party you vote for, there’s radicals who will influence the party’s policies.

            You appear to speak with an alarming authority and attention to detail on that other subject….! 😳

          • Labour Party members voted against AUKUS.

            Young Labour members are against NATO.

            They are still there k=just lurking beneath.

          • morning Sean. off topic but slightly relevant. My son informs me Almond milk is the way to for a 1st cappuccino. To forgo any conclusions, he is most definitely anti woke and hard working, wich is refreshing for a 20 to 30 year old generation y, z or whatever it is they label themselves here in NZ.

          • Ah that would explain it, I don’t drink coffee, can’t stand the vile stuff. English and a tea drinker always! 🫖

          • Not yet, he isn’t.

            The numbers of members of the Socialist Campaign Group doubles at the last election, and are currently around 1-in-6 Lab MPs in the Commons.

            And remember that 11 signed the Stop the War statement before Mr Starmer hit them on the head with a roller-up newspaper and threatened to withdraw the Whip.

          • When precisely did NATO defeat the USSR?Ukraine together with Russia and Belarus brought down the USSR.NATO had nothing to do with it.

          • The late 1980’s, the Soviet Bloc couldn’t compete with West’s increased spending on defence despite them committing increasingly larger portion of GDP to their militaries. This resulted in greater hardship experienced by its citizens at time when the West was booming economically. Chernobyl acted as a catalyst, showing Soviet ineptitude and poor technology. Of course, the West arming the insurgents in Afghanistan to cripple the Soviet military was another catalyst.
            The first crack was the Hungarians allowing East Germans to escape to the West, precipitating the fall of the Wall. After that it was a cascade effect.

            I assume you were asleep for the 1980’s and 1990’s? Or stoned on glue sniffing? 🤷🏻‍♂️

      • Why in the world would Australia, which has extremely close ties with the superpower US and had has those ties since WW2 when it realized that the UK could not be relied upon to come to its defense, put that alliance in a secondary status to ally itself once again with a second- rate military power that has no appreciable assets in the Pacific and has no ability to project power into the Pacific? And why would Canada, with a third-rate military, that shares a border with the US ditch its alliance with the US to ally itself with a Pacific power 10,000 miles away that can’t project power into the North American Continent and with a European power that also can’t project power into the North American continent? And why would the US not just tell Canada and Australia that if they don’t won’t to remain allied with the US on the US’s terms, they can then go just go it alone. Try living in the real world.

        • I never said ditch the US anywhere. Indeed I specifically said establishment of joint capability that can slot in to US fleets. Why would the three countries want to work together? For the same reason that they currently attempt to harmonies their UN and foreign policy via G3. All three countries have similar outlooks and as a combined group they can have more effect on US or European foreign policy. The three countries can further have more industrial benefits and control over joint assets and joint capabilities than they would with the US on their own where any contribution I.e the UK on F35 is scene as irrelevant by the USA give the disparity in contributions.

      • Let’s be honest. For Australia any scenario that doesn’t involve the US is a non-starter. China is Australia’s only meaningful threat, and some alliance with the UK and Canada is of little significance in the context of China. I’m not discounting the contributions of others, but the US is a required partner in any scenario that looks to counter China. That’s just the facts.

        Afterall, even giving full credit to the UK’s military capabilities, it’s on the other side of the world and could only commit a fraction of its military to such a conflict.

        As for Canada, their military contribution to such a scenario isn’t worth typing. Again, even giving them full credit, they’d be pretty busy defending the north Atlantic (their coastline) in such an altercation and in no position to reinforce the aussies.

        • Canadian Armed Forces focus in the Pacific has changed quite a bit in the last 5 years. China bullying and the Russian invasion of the Ukraine has now forced the Canadian gov to listen to the advice finally from the Canadian Armed forces on a lot of issues that they were dragging their feet on.

          The RCN/RCAF activity in the Pacific is quite pronounced given the missions they have undertaken in North Korea and China watches. These watches were in participation with Australian and and other allies.

      • Bet it took you all day to come up with that. I might have suggested you crowdsourced it from your friends, but that’d would rely on you actually having any friends…

  3. In the Australian context the US and NZ are not NATO partners of Australia, they are ANZUS partners.

    There are many multilateral and bilateral defence Partnerships, the world doesn’t revolve around NATO, especially in this part of the world, eg, Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific.

      • I wouldn’t say our Kiwi cousins across the ditch are ‘worthless’, I’d say their Governments for many years are pretty useless.

        Let’s hope their Government starts to realise the depth of crap going on in our part of the world and start to respond accordingly.

      • Worthless would not be such an issue. I get the distinct perception that parts of its government are actively working against us now.

      • That “worthless partner” has troops in the UK helping to train Ukrainians. That “worthless partner” has many thousands of young men in cemeteries around the world who died protecting us all. Have some respect.

      • I’d also appreciate you not calling NZ and it’s people “worthless”. NZ has made its contribution in both World Wars, other conflicts, humanitarian relief and on top of that are very decent people. Yes, their defence force is pretty toothless and needs some serious muscling up but the service men and women in it will be tops. And yes, the NZ government their needs to absolutely wake up to the size of the Chinese threat in the North and increase its defence spending and its strike power, especially in the Navy and Airforce. Maybe they’ll take note with how the Australian government is responding in regional defence. Last week a top USN commander was having talks with Jacinta Ardern so maybe she’ll listen to him and the US NZ relationship can also be strengthened.

        🇦🇺 🇳🇿 🇬🇧 We’re family!

          • No problems Klonkie, just returned from a short NZ holiday yesterday so things are still fresh. There’s some stupid ungrateful and unappreciated parochial crap posted here today. Britain, it’s commonwealth, it’s allies, economic partners, are all here to uphold and defend the free(r) world, democracy, human rights, freedom of passage, in and with whatever regional alliances exist, big, small and with whatever, uni, multi, bi-lateral relationships exist and to back each other up.

          • Thats what China says.Rid the would of American tyranny WHICH HAS ONLY BEEN EQUALLED BY THE SPANISH INQUISITION

          • Freer world, increased democracy, respect for human rights, freedom of passage ARE NOT on the CCP menu.

          • Cheers for that Quentin, I’m looking forward to a week of sun at Noosa and on the Barrier reef in September, Lady Elliot island- endless hours of diving and mercifully no wi-fi or cell phone coverage!

          • Enjoy your time in Australia. I haven’t been to either of those places but both sound nice and I know Noosa is.

          • Hi Klonkie, agree with Quentin’s comments too.

            Anyway, hope all is well on your side of the ditch.

          • All good thx Mate- apart from the appealing weather. Trust all is well in your neck of the woods.

            I’m looking forward to a week of sun at Noosa and on the Barrier reef in September. Was postponed for 2 years thanks to COVID!

      • Good people, fantastic soldiers. Seriously underfunded defense for years and now a government that gets the small picture.

      • @Chris.

        No.

        Tensions exist, for sure. The relationship continues, however.

        NZ are Five Eyes, and as I see reported, they are considering – for example – joining AUKUS.

      • NATO Article 5??

        You don’t seriously believe that if Australia was to become a part of NATO and we came under attack ALL 30 members would deploy to the other end of the world to defend us?

        Dream on.

        • I’m guessing that because you don’t believe in fulfilling your commitments you don’t think anybody else does. Fortunately most people have higher standards than yourself.

          All 30 members wouldn’t deploy, that would be impractical for some. But all would contribute in the defence of a fellow member. Not every NATO member deployed to Afghanistan after the USA triggered Article V after 9/11. But you seem light on actual facts.

          • I don’t believe in fulfilling our commitments? What planet are you on?

            There has been a lot of Australian blood spilled VERY far from our shores, (including my family), Boer War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Malayan Emergency, Vietnam, Both Gulf Wars, Afghanistan.

            How dare you question my standards you dumb fucking cunt!!

          • I’ll question your standards when you question the standards of NATO member nations to honour their Article V commitments. You feel insulted? GOOD because that’s how every citizen of a NATO member would probably feel about your suggestion that their country would turn coward rather than come to the aid of an ally.

            And don’t play the insult to Australia ruse. I have huge personal regard for the country and it’s culture. Hell I’ve dated probably more Sheila’s than girls from any other nation.
            Which shocks me is that such a fine country can produce someone as loathsome as you.

          • Repeating your original feeble response has to the most feeble thing I’ve ever seen!! 🤣😂🤣

          • Hi John N, as a dual Australian Pom I am grateful for all this country has given me and my family and though I’m very ignorant of many historical matters I know Australia will always stand up to any foe when it has to and as it has done over many decades and of support of its allies and like-minded countries. You don’t need to respond to all that shit above. I’ve got family in NZ too, so don’t appreciate crap remarks regarding NZ either!

          • Hi mate,

            As you would well know us Aussies and our Kiwi cousins across the ditch love to have a go at each other, typical sibling rivalry.

            But we certainly go out of our way to defend each other when push comes to shove too.

            Anyway, most people here on UKDJ are decent, unfortunately there are always a few low dogs, a few trolls.

            Cheers,

          • Hi John, all good mate and I understand all the banter and rivalry. We might have to leave it all on the “sports fields”for now. Even AM is having a bit of a go but he might be joshing. Good posting, keeping it straight, honest and factual.

          • Hi mate,

            Nothing wrong with banter and rivalry, all good fun.

            But when some idiots start playing bodyline and bouncers for no reason, then they’ll get it served back too.

            As usual, some can give it, but can’t take it.

            Enjoy your evening.

            Cheers,

          • Not quite the way to do things in your last line! Sean isn’t a troll, he is a decent contributor to this site, and does actually do a bit of troll hunting on occasion! Methinks the issue is one of perception and you are both correct! It is not feasible for all NATO members to assist AUS (if in the alliance) but the main players would be on station and on the ball for sure mate!

          • Airborne,

            Your mate was the one that started the personal attack, not me, ok?

            I’m happy to argue a point back and forth all day, but when someone starts the personal crap, I’ll respond accordingly, fair?

            But getting back to the start, I don’t see or believe, that Australia would want to be part of NATO.

            I think some people from the northern hemisphere don’t really understand that NATO is not applicable in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific context.

            For Australia, our major defence partner is the US, has been so since WWII, we also have very strong, and growing, defence relationships with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, NZ, etc, etc.

            France has a growing presence in the Pacific, the UK is just starting to re-focus on the region again too.

            Australia will always have a close relationship with NATO, and more so with specific members, but joining? Not necessary.

            Cheers,

          • Not my mate, he is a fellow poster who contributes very well, has experience and is able to comment on a wide range of subjects! As for the bit of a pissy “your mate started the personal attack, not me, ok? Do me a favour and don’t get all handbags with me, as I couldn’t give a toss! However, while he did question your personal standards, rightly or wrongly, your the one that give it the “fucking dumb cunt” comment! FFS what are we, teenagers who give it the large over the keyboard.

            As for the subject matter being discussed, I didn’t say Australia should join NATO I did say that if it was in NATO only a certain number of countries would be able to actually to deploy on an effective way! Personally I don’t think your country should join the alliance anyway, as the clue is in the name, as you can get more effective and responsive alliances in the region, which would actually have a more realistic defensive posture to any possible aggressors! Cheers.

      • Very few if any however Article V is not as definitive as you may think. If you read the text it has a number of exits for members to get out and it’s only really be used once as a show of solidarity with a super power that wanted to squash a few insects in Central Asia. Australia throw it’s self in to two world wars for the UK no questions asked with out so much as a bit of paper that said they had to. Not the second time anyway.

        • Article V has only been used once because aside from UBL nobody was so freaking stupid to attack a NATO member. Even that retard Putin knew better than to mess with NATO and attacked Ukraine rather than one of the Baltic states; which would have been far easier bar the fact they are NATO members and Ukraine wasn’t. Putin knew he had to move on Ukraine before they joined, because afterwards he wouldn’t be able to.

          Yes Australian wasn’t obliged to fight against the Nazis, though they would have been pulled in with Pearl Habour.
          But can you say for definite, today, if either the U.K. or Australia were attacked, the other would come to its defence militarily?. I’d sincerely hope so, but without a treaty I don’t trust either our politicians, or theirs, to do the right thing.

          • Mate he is a sad Russkie supporting troll, he has a number of pathetic comments! Anyway how’s it going mate?

          • thanks for the ping Airborne – all good in my neck of the woods thanks, despite torrential downpours and flooding. DM tells me you guys are finally gutting some rain too! Hope all is well with you Mate.

        • H Barry – thank for your comment. I’m actually South African by birth (ex SA Air force). Like most folk on this site, I have a deep interest in military history 9 particular ww2) .

          Although Crete was a disaster, the ANZACs fought tenaciously with the deck heavily stacked against them. Kudos to the bravery and professionalism of the RN for a hard fought evacuation.

          • Crete was a disaster for the Falschirmjager too. Hitler never attempted another airborne landing at that scale after the battering handed out to them at Heraklion.

            Spellings dodgy I know.

          • great point you raise DM. These German “para” losses dented future consideration to an airborne invasion of Malta.

          • Morning mate. Yes, and Gibraltar. Both of which would have caused real issues for us as the RN was sinking Rommels supply ships.

            Kurt Students grandest dream never fulfilled was to create a Para Panzer Division and land it in the Urals to destroy the Soviet tank factories. After Crete Hitler didn’t trust the airborne troops, a shame for them as they were great soldiers.

  5. Looks like it will be great exercise for all involved.
    We all know the real issue everyone deployed wants to know. Does the water go backwards down the plug hole?
    How many will come back and blame an STI on holding a koala😂😂😂😂

    • And now these two countries are even sharing Poseidon type nuclear powered and tipped torpedo with AI technology as was in the media recently. As mentioned by others before, this could be a case for some extra subs of our own both diesel and nuclear and long range UUVs can’t come soon enough plus additional P-8s to increase ASW surveillance. Areas of tgevworlds oceans are turning into a shark’s pool.

  8. Nice photo of the EW attack F18 Growler.

    Great networked force here in Australia.
    E7 Wagtail
    F18 Growler
    F35
    P8 Poseidon
    Long range Jindalee OTHR

    and on the way;
    MC55 Pereguine
    MQ 4 Triton

    Looking forward to working with the RAF

    • blame our short sighted labour government of the early 2000’s. Quote “NZ is in a strategically benign area” yeah right! NZ had ordered 28 F16 (an embargoed undelivered Pakistan order) . This was promptly cancelled after a “defence review”, – the irresponsible idiots.

      • No disrespect mate, but I’m afraid NZ made the correct decision not to buy those F16s, along with the decision to disband the RNZAF fighter units. I would argue that the NZDF became a more effective organisation from that point onwards. The foreign policy is much better served by a defence force organised to support the type of operations that NZ undertakes.

        • I can’t argue with your 2nd paragraph points Blue Monday, As an ex air force type, you’ll forgive my self evident bias!

  11. I think the most interesting aspect of this is how it is being actively framed around NATO (TBF you are reporting a NATO press release), rather than “Australia and allies”.

    It has a slight feel of the Hunt for a New NATO Strategic Concept that was going on in 2005-2012 or so.

    I’d say pursuing links is good, and something more integrated than the current setups could usefully emerge in the Indo-Pacific, with values similar to those of NATO.

  12. Good Day gentlemen. hope you are all well. I see there has been some heated skirmishing over this article. I am not going to get involved but just a comment regarding the scrap over whether Aus should join Nato. We should perhaps remember that it is the NORTH ATLANTIC Treaty Organisation.
    Just saying.
    Hey Daniele my friend You guys have had it all in the UK over the last weeks-Durban Summer heat and Indian monsoon rainfall. I hope you are well and coping.
    Cheers from Durbs

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here