This is the first expansion of imperialist troops in Iraq since the January 30 elections. Howard said that Iraq was at a “tilting point following its landmark elections” and the Australian troops were “needed to help rebuild the country.”

The new force will be sent to al-Muthanna in the south of Iraq, where a contingent of noncombat troops from Japan is working on engineering projects. The Australian troops will replace the Dutch force, which is being withdrawn in March, that is currently providing security for the Japanese engineers. The U.S. and British military have been pressing the Australian government for some time to lift its troop commitments in Iraq. In the week prior to the decision to send troops, Howard received requests from both Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and British prime minister Anthony Blair.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Howard as saying that he feared that the Japanese troops would leave Iraq if Australians were not sent to protect them, causing the international coalition to crumble.

Howard described Japan’s continued presence in Iraq as vital. “Working alongside and in partnership with a close regional ally and partner such as Japan is very important from Australia’s point of view,” he said.

Japan has some 850 military engineers in al-Muthanna. This deployment is another step by Tokyo in extending the use of its military around the world, with the encouragement of Washington and Canberra.

The day after Howard’s announcement The Australian editorialized, “We will be encouraging Japan’s new assertiveness in foreign and security policy.” A Herald columnist said that Howard’s decision showed “Australian support for Japan putting ‘boots on the ground’ around the world.”

The Herald reported that a spokesperson for Koizumi had described the troop commitment as further evidence of the “friendly relationship” between the two countries. Talks between the Japanese and Australian governments open this month on a free trade agreement.

A 10-member army reconnaissance team will leave Darwin for Iraq within 10 days to prepare for Australia’s new deployment of troops. The new force, the majority of which will be sent in 10 weeks time, will also be involved in further training of Iraqi security forces.

Forty light armored vehicles, known as ASLAVs, will be sent to Iraq in support of the new task force, which will be deployed initially for a year. The Herald reported that defense analysts were concerned that the military will be hard pressed to complete the refit of its fleet of light armored vehicles for Iraq in time.

“Our army largely lacks the equipment types, numbers and logistic capacity to sustain such a commitment in medium to high intensity warfare,” Neil James, executive director of the Australia Defence Association in Canberra commented on February 23 in an article in The Australian. “These deficiencies reinforce the urgency of the current initiative to modernise and harden the army after decades of comparative neglect.”

These comments reflect the need of the imperialist rulers of Australia to rapidly transform their armed forces in preparation for the sort of wars they are fighting and know they need to fight under the banner of “antiterrorism.”

Currently there are about 900 Australian army, navy, and air force personnel in and around Iraq, but only about 160 combat troops on the ground. Howard said that the increased commitment will mean additional annual spending of between A$250 million and $300 (A$1 = US$0.78) million from the budget. He has not ruled out sending further troops.

In the run-up to the Australian federal elections last year Howard promised not to substantially increase troop numbers in Iraq. In an interview with ABC radio February 22 Howard admitted that the government had changed its position. “But in the end,” he said, “I've got to take decisions that I believe are right in the interests of this country and broader Western interests in the Middle East.”
 
 
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