Australia and the American ‘Pivot to Asia’
The ‘Pivot to Asia’ (‘Pivot’ — now called a ‘rebalance’ in the US) refers to a strategic shift in American foreign policy towards a renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific, formally articulated by US President Barack Obama in a speech to the Australian parliament on 17 November 2011 commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the signing of the ANZUS treaty.
Obama declared that the US would play a greater role in shaping the future of the Asia-Pacific region in order to ‘preserve our unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace’, emphasising that the US ‘is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay’. Obama pledged a renewed focus on regional alliances, increased engagement with Asia-Pacific multilateral organisations, and the realisation of his signature Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade coalition.
Prior to the speech, Obama and then prime minister Julia Gillard announced the first major Pivot initiative: the establishment of a 2500-strong US marine air-ground task force in Darwin by 2017, and an increase in the rotation of both US Air Force planes and US Navy vessels through Australian bases.
Despite Obama insisting that the US and Australia ‘have a profound interest in the rise of a peaceful and prosperous China’, the deployment of US marines to Darwin was seen by many observers as aimed at ‘containing’ China. Analysts believe that Australia-based containment strategies are an essential anti-China component of the US AirSea Battle military doctrine, especially given Australia’s strategically favourable geography and mounting local resistance to US bases in Japan and Korea.
China reacted icily to the announcement of US marines deploying to Darwin. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried the move as reflecting a ‘Cold War mentality’ and added that: ‘It may not be quite appropriate to intensify and expand military alliances and may not be in the interest of countries within the region.’ The state-affiliated Global Times warned that Australia ‘cannot play China for a fool’ and could be ‘caught in the crossfire’ if it joined the US in harming Chinese interests. The then foreign minister Kevin Rudd responded that this was a ‘sovereign matter for Australia’, and declared that China had been briefed on the proposal.
The first contingent of 200 US marines arrived in Darwin in April 2012, the first complete battalion of 1150 marines was deployed in March 2014, and the first full deployment of 2500 marines is scheduled by 2017. In August 2014, Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed a twenty-five-year US-Australia Force Posture Agreement formalising the generational deepening of military cooperation announced in 2011. Long-term Australian defence planning [topic page link: Defence and Strategic Relations] envisages pre-positioning US military equipment in Darwin, basing US Navy warships at Darwin and the Stirling naval base in Western Australia, a US drone base on Australia’s Cocos Islands, ballistic missile defence cooperation and increased US Air Force rotations, possibly including hosting B-1 bombers in northern Australia.
Australian support of the US as an ‘utterly dependable ally’ seems assured. But while Obama described the Australian alliance as ‘indispensable’ to the Pivot, many observers have questioned his administration’s commitment to the Pivot over the long-term. Analysts consider current US Secretary of State John Kerry to be more concerned with the Middle East; key proponents of the Pivot such as Kerry’s predecessor Hillary Clinton have left office; and Obama’s failure to attend either the 2013 East Asia Summit or 2013 APEC Summit led to questions over his personal commitment to the region.
However, from late 2014, the Obama administration seemed to make a concerted effort to reinvigorate the Pivot: when Obama returned to Australia for the Brisbane G20 meeting in November 2014, he delivered a speech promising to ‘deepen our engagement’ with the Asia-Pacific ‘using every element of our power’; he then used his January 2015 State of the Union address to reframe the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a geopolitical instrument necessary for the US to continue to ‘write the rules’ in the region instead of China; he has heavily prioritised TPP negotiations, which officials say are ‘in the endgame’; and, the appointment of Ashton Carter as Secretary of Defence in February 2015 has brought a harder line against Chinese military expansionism and territorial disputes.
Commentators in Australia are divided between those who think the renewed Pivot will improve Australian security by reasserting the US-led regional order, and those who think it will destabilise the region by ratcheting up US-China competition.
Links
- University of Sydney, The United States Studies Centre, Alliance 21: The 21st Century Australia-United States Alliance.
October 2011
- Hillary Clinton, ‘America’s Pacific Century’, Foreign Policy, 11 October 2011.
November 2011
- Peter Hartcher, ‘US Marine Base for Darwin’, The Sydney Morning Herald, originally published 10 November 2011.
- Laura Meckler, ‘U.S. to Build Up Military in Australia’, The Wall Street Journal, 10 November 2011.
- Matthew Thompson, ‘Is a US Marine Base in Darwin Really a Good Idea?’, The Conversation, 10 November 2011.
- Max Fisher, ‘5 Lessons of U.S. Plan for a Permanent Military Presence in Australia’, The Atlantic, 10 November 2011.
- ABC, ‘US Marines to be based in Darwin: Reports’, ABC News, 11 November 2011.
- Peter Hartcher, ‘Ties That Bind Grow Stronger’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 2011.
- David Nakamura, ‘Obama Visits Australia to Announce Expanded U.S. Military Presence’, The Washington Post, 14 November 2011.
- Paul Dibb, ‘US Build-Up No Threat to Peace’, The Australian, 15 November 2011.
- Ian Johnson and Jackie Calmes, ‘As U.S. Looks to Asia, It Sees China Everywhere’, The New York Times, 15 November 2011.
- Paul Keating, ‘Kowtowing to US Must Stop’, Australian Financial Review, 15 November 2012.
- Global Times, ‘Australia Could be Caught in Sino-US Crossfire’, Global Times, 16 November 2011.
- Hugh White, ‘Dear Mr President, We Beg to Differ Over the Future of Asia’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 November 2011.
- Stephen Collinson, ‘US to Base Marines in Australia: Obama, Gillard’, Defense News, 16 November 2011.
- Allison Rourke and Jonathan Watts, ‘China Uneasy Over US Troop Deal in Australia’, The Guardian, 16 November 2011.
- Associated Press, ‘Obama Tells Asia US ‘Here to Stay’ as a Pacific Power’, The Guardian, 16 November 2011.
- Jayshree Bajoria, ‘U.S.-Australia Alliance and China’, Council on Foreign Relations, 16 November 2011.
- James Laurenceson, ‘A ‘Zhengyou’ to China? Signing with Obama on Trade Puts This Friendship to the Test’, The Conversation, 16 November 2011.
- Caren Bohan and James Grubel, ‘Obama Boosts U.S. Military in Australia, Reassures China’, Reuters, 16 November 2011.
- President Barack Obama, ‘Remarks By President Obama to the Australian Parliament’, Speech to the Australian Parliament, Canberra, 17 November 2011.
- Matthew Thompson, ‘Obama’s Speech to Parliament: Experts Respond’, The Conversation, 17 November 2011.
- Stephen McDonell and Helen Brown, ‘China, Indonesia wary of US troops in Darwin’, ABC News, 17 November 2011.
- Raoul Heinrichs, ‘A Cold and Clever U.S. Base Move’, The Diplomat, 17 November 2011.
- David Crowe, ‘US, Australia Hit Back at China Criticism’, Australian Financial Review, 17 November 2011.
- Matthew Franklin, ‘Our ‘Indispensable’ Alliance: Barack Obama’, The Australian, 17 November 2011.
- Ben Packham, ‘China Reproaches Australia Over Strengthened US Defence Ties’, The Australian, 17 November 2011.
- Phillip Coorey, ‘Obama to Send Marines to Darwin’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 17 November 2011.
- John Garnaut, ‘Analysts Say China Stung by Defence Pact’, The Age, 18 November 2011.
- Richard Teare, ‘U.S. Marines to Darwin, Australia: Evolution of an Idea’, cogitASIA, 18 November 2011.
- The Economist, ‘America in the Asia-Pacific: We’re Back’, The Economist, 19 November 2011.
December 2011
- Li Xiaokun and Li Lianxing, ‘US Military Base in Australia Shows ‘Cold War Mentality’’, China Daily, 1 December 2011.
- Michael Sainsbury, ‘China condemns US base in Darwin’, The Australian, 1 December 2011.
January 2012
- James Curran, ‘The Eagle Down Under’, China-US Focus, 11 January 2012.
March 2012
- Craig Whitlock, ‘U.S., Australia to Broaden Military Ties Amid Pentagon Pivot to SE Asia’, The Washington Post, 27 March 2012.
- ABC, ‘Coalition Backs US Drone Base on Cocos Islands’, ABC News, 29 March 2012.
April 2012
- BBC, ‘First Contingent of 200 US Marines Arrives in Darwin’, BBC News, 3 April 2012.
- Peter Leahy, ‘We Must Not Get Too Close to the US’, The Australian, 12 April 2012.
May 2012
- Malcolm Moore, ‘Chinese Anger at US Base in Australia’, The Telegraph, 16 May 2012.
- Anthony Kuhn, ‘Are U.S. Troops in Australia a Hedge Against China?’, National Public Radio, 16 May 2012.
June 2012
- David Brewster, ‘‘Asian pivot’ is really an ‘Asian re-balance’, The Interpreter, 22 June 2012
August 2012
- Ben Potter, ‘US Says its Asia ‘Pivot’ Went Too Far’, Australian Financial Review, 23 August 2012.
September 2012
- Graeme Dobell, ‘Australia-East Asia/US Relations: Rebooting the Alliance’, Comparative Connections, September 2012.
- Graeme Dunstan, ‘Postcard From…Darwin’, Foreign Policy in Focus, 27 September 2012.
November 2012
- Peter Hartcher, ‘PM Had Cold Feet on US Base Plan’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 November 2012.
February 2013
- AFP, ‘Australia ‘critical’ to US Asia strategy’, The Australian, 1 February 2013.
- Elizabeth Economy, ‘John Kerry on China and the Pivot’, The Diplomat, 28 February 2013.
March 2013
- Aubrey Bloomfield, ‘John Kerry: China Happy About His Questioning of America’s ‘Pacific Pivot’’, PolicyMic, 3 March 2013.
- Benjamin Schreer, ‘Why the US ‘pivot’ to Asia is sustainable’, The Strategist, 14 March 2013.
July 2013
- Malcolm Sutton, ‘Cracks Appearing in US Marines’ Charm Offensive in Darwin’, The Guardian, 29 July 2013.
August 2013
- Scott Murdoch, ‘Chinese Unhappy with US Build-Up’, The Australian, 24 August 2013.
September 2013
- Donna Miles, ‘Rotational Force in Australia Paves Way for Big Growth in 2014’, American Forces Press Service, 24 September 2013.
October 2013
- Stuart Grudgings, ‘As Obama’s Asia ‘Pivot’ Falters, China Steps into the Gap’, Reuters, 6 October 2013.
- Kate Lamb, ‘Kerry Defends US Commitment to Asia at APEC’, Voice of America, 7 October 2013.
- Rowan Callick, ‘Asian ‘pivot’ losing its edge’, The Australian, 8 October 2013.
- Cameron Stewart, ‘US ‘Failing to Back its Asia Pivot’, Says Government Report’, The Australian, 9 October 2013.
- Alan Dupont, ‘Pivot to Asia Has Not Fallen Off its Axis’, The Australian, 15 October 2013.
- Michael Mazza, ‘John Kerry: Unserious About Asia?’, AEIdeas, 18 October 2013.
November 2013
- Jim Thomas, Zack Cooper and Iskander Rehman, ‘Gateway to the Indo-Pacific: Australian Defense Strategy and the Future of the Australia-U.S. Alliance’, Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, 9 November 2013.
- Max Suich, ‘Australia Pivots to Asia as US Wobbles’, The Australian, 30 November 2013.
December 2013
- Deborah Gleeson, ‘Update from the Latest Trans Pacific Partnership Meeting’, The Conversation, 12 December 2013.
- Beina Xu et al, ‘What Happened to the Asia Pivot in 2013?’, Council on Foreign Relations, 20 December 2013.
April 2014
- Hayley Channer, ‘The pulse in Washington: US analysts’ views on the rebalance and Australia’, The Strategist, 23 April 2014.
May 2014
- Stephen Walt, ‘What has Asia done for Uncle Sam lately?’, Foreign Policy, 16 May 2014.
June 2014
- Rory Medcalf, ‘Australians back close friendship with America amid China tensions’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 5 June 2014.
- David Crowe, ‘US to extend Darwin marine base as Tony Abbott meets Barack Obama to push G20 agenda’, The Australian, 13 June 2014.
- James Brown, ‘Australia-US defence deal: What it means’, The Interpreter, 13 June 2014.
- Rory Medcalf, ‘Abbott visit will reboot US pivot towards Asia’, Australian Financial Review, 16 June 2014.
- Hayley Channer, ‘The pulse in Washington: Australia’s tools in supporting the pivot’, The Strategist, 17 June 2014.
- Paul McGeough, ‘Hillary’s Choice’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 June 2014.
July 2014
- Laura Tingle, ‘Turnbull lets loose in China-US critique’, Australian Financial Review, 1 July 2014.
- Ali Wyne, ‘Three arguments for strengthening the US rebalance’, The Strategist, 4 July 2014.
August 2014
- Interview with Ernest Bower, ‘Military deal with Australia is ‘part of US pivot to Asia’’, Deutsche Welle, 13 August 2014.
September 2014
- Vince Scappatura, ‘The US ‘Pivot to Asia’, the China specter and the Australian-American alliance’, Global Research, 10 September 2014.
- John Blaxland, ‘So much for the pivot to Asia’, The Drum, 19 September 2014.
October 2014
- Alliance 21, ‘The Australia-US Partnership’, Report, 1 October 2014.
November 2014
- Hayley Channer, ‘Steadying the US rebalance to Asia: the role of Australia, Japan and South Korea’, Strategic Insights, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 10 November 2014.
- Matt Spetalnick and Matt Siegel, ‘In veiled message to China, Obama renews commitment to Asia-Pacific pivot’, Reuters, 15 November 2014.
- Lenore Taylor, ‘G20: Barack Obama uses visit to reassert US influence in Asia Pacific’, The Guardian, 15 November 2014.
- Susan Harris Rimmer, ‘‘And speaking of China…’ Obama’s hope for Asia’, The Conversation, 15 November 2014.
December 2014
- James Dunlevie and Felicity James, ‘Army’s new $125 million logistics facility in Darwin officially opened’, ABC News, 11 December 2014.
- James Massola, ‘John Kerry is ‘preoccupied’ with the Middle East and climate change in Asia: Kim Beazley’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 December 2014.
January 2015
- Michael Green, Nicholas Szechenyi and Victor Cha, ‘Pivot 2.0: How the administration and congress can work together to sustain American engagement in Asia to 2016’, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 5 January 2015.
- Rod Lyon, ‘Assessing the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific’, The Strategist, 16 January 2015.
- President Barack Obama, ‘Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address’, State of the Union Address to the US Congress, Washington DC, 20 January 2015.
- Josh Chin, ‘A rare role for China in U.S. State of the Union: Partner’, The Wall Street Journal, 21 January 2015.
- Alliance 21 and the Brookings Institution, ‘Looking ahead: next steps for the deepening Australia-US alliance in the Asia Pacific’, Conference Proceedings, Washington DC, 21 January 2015.
- Malcolm Jorgensen, ‘Obama’s state of union address reinforces Asian pivot being on bench’, The Australian, 22 January 2015.
- Shannon Tiezzi, ‘The State of the Union: Obama’s challenge to China’, The Diplomat, 22 January 2015.
- John Kehoe, ‘Pacific trade pact is all about containing China’, Australian Financial Review, 26 January 2015.
February 2015
- ABC, ‘US Navy ships look to establish Darwin military base, but China won’t be happy, warns expert’, ABC News, 13 February 2015.
March 2015
- AAP, ‘More than 1000 US Marines headed to Darwin’, Seven News, 25 March 2015.
April 2015
- Sam Roggeveen, ‘Ashton Carter on the TPP and rebalance’, The Interpreter, 7 April 2015.
- John Garnaut, ‘Asia pivots towards the US as China bears down’, The Age, 10 April 2015.
- Ruby Jones and Xavier La Canna, ‘Australia ‘not in total control’ of US Marine rotation through Darwin, academic says’, ABC News, 11 April 2015.
- Courtney Todd, ‘More than 1000 US Marines arrive in Top End for fourth annual six-month deployment known as Marine Rotational Force Darwin’, NT News, 13 April 2015.
- Natalie Sambhi and David Lang, ‘Hillary Rodham Clinton for Asia’, The Strategist, 13 April 2015.
- Council on Foreign Relations and the Lowy Institute for International Policy, ‘U.S. rebalance to Asia symposium’, New York, 20-21 April 2015.
- Andrew Kwon, ‘Ashton Carter and the evolution of the rebalance’, The Strategist, 23 April 2015.
- Nick O’Malley, ‘Crucial trade pact in ‘grabbing distance’’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 2015.
- Nick O’Malley, ‘‘For the sake of our children’: Japan’s Shinzo Abe argued for Trans-Pacific Partnership’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 30 April 2015.
May 2015
- Michael Vincent, ‘Tony Abbott confirms US has no plans to send B-1 bombers to Australia, says defence official ‘misspoke’’, ABC News, 15 May 2015.
- Jared Owens, ‘US bombers in Australia not aimed to counter China: Defence’, The Australian, 15 May 2015.
- Tony Walker, ‘Barack Obama faces stiff opposition on Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal’, Australian Financial Review, 15 May 2015.
- Angus Grigg, ‘The moment Australia tilted to Beijing?’, Australian Financial Review, 15 May 2015.
- John Kerin and Lisa Murray, ‘Australia considering hosting US Air Force airplanes, military analyst says’, Australian Financial Review, 15 May 2015.
- Fergus Ryan and APP, ‘Abbott talks down US military boost’, China Spectator, 15 May 2015.
- Helen Clark, ‘B-1 ‘misspeak’ highlights Australia’s China-US balancing problem’, The Diplomat, 15 May 2015.
- Kerry Brown, ‘Divided loyalties: US bomber comments send unfriendly vibes to China’, The Drum, 15 May 2015.
- AAP, ‘Australia military to get a boost as America builds up presence in Asia-Pacific nations’, News.com.au, 15 May 2015.
- Philip Dorling, ‘B-1 bombers coming to Australia to deter Beijing’s South China Sea ambitions: US’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 May 2015.
- John Garnaut and David Wroe, ‘US official misspoke on B-1 bombers being based in Australia: Tony Abbott’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 May 2015.
- AAP, ‘US says no bombers planned for Australia’, News.com.au, 16 May 2015.
- Nick O’Malley, ‘Pentagon clarifies statement on US bombers being sent to Australia’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2015.
- John Garnaut, ‘Changing face of Australia’s security posture’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 May 2015.
- John Kerin and Lisa Murray, ‘US long-range bombers got green light a decade ago’, Australian Financial Review, 17 May 2015.
- Steven Schubert and James Purtill, ‘US Marines begin arriving in Darwin in fourth rotation as part of US ‘pivot’ to the Asia-Pacific’, ABC News, 18 May 2015.
- John Kehoe, ‘China tests Barack Obama’s perceived weakness on South China Sea’, Australian Financial Review, 18 May 2015.
- Lisa Murray and John Kerin, ‘China warns Australia on US bombers’, Australian Financial Review, 19 May 2015.
- Greg Sheridan, ‘B-1 supersonic bombers coming to the north after all’, The Australian, 22 May 2015.
- Angus Grigg and Lisa Murray, ‘Chinese: US bombers could be ‘a step too far’ for Australia-China relationship’, Australian Financial Review, 22 May 2015.
- Rowan Callick, ‘US push-back in Asia gains momentum to reassure partners’, The Australian, 22 May 2015.
- Greg Sheridan, ‘US President Barack Obama’s pivotal absence in Asia’, The Australian, 23 May 2015.
- Dow Jones Newswires, ‘US optimism for TPP’, Business Spectator, 25 May 2015.
- Hugh White, ‘B-1 bombers herald tough choice for Canberra’, Global Times, 25 May 2015.
- Iain Henry, ‘B-1 bombers in Australia: Red lines and green lights’, The Interpreter, 26 May 2015.
- Benjamin Herscovitch, ‘Will US B-1 bombers damage Sino-Australian relations?’, China Spectator, 27 May 2015.
- ‘Secret trials no help to trade and highlight risks of TPP’, Australian Financial Review, 31 May 2015.
June 2015
- Fergus Ryan and AFP, ‘China could join TPP: Obama’, China Spectator, 4 June 2015.
- Editorial, ‘US forgets free-trade lessons’, Australian Financial Review, 16 June 2015.
- Brett Worthington, ‘Growing doubts about Trans-Pacific Partnership if China excluded’, ABC Rural, 16 June 2015.
- Rory Medcalf, ‘We’re not the only friends the United States has in the Asian region’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 2015.
- Greg Earl, ‘Australia seals China trade deal as Trans-Pacific Partnership flounders’, Australian Financial Review, 17 June 2015.
- Jared Owens, ‘TPP basis of US regional engagement: Madeleine Albright’, The Australian, 18 June 2015.
July 2015
- Editorial, ‘US free trade agreement a building block for the TPP to come’, Australian Financial Review, 2 July 2015.
- Adam Creighton, ‘Robert Zoellick defends secrecy during TPP talks’, The Australian, 3 July 2015.