Canberra tightens U.S. army ties
By Grant Holloway, CNN Sydney
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australia's military alliance with the United States has drawn ever closer following a decision by Canberra to buy nearly 60 Abrams tanks from the U.S.
The second-hand Abrams battle tanks -- which cost $415 million (Aust. $550 million) -- will replace the Australian army's ageing fleet of German-built Leopard tanks.
Importantly, the Abrams tanks will give the Australian defense forces greater operational compatibility with the U.S. military.
The tanks, which will not be operation until 2007, will be based in the city of Darwin on Australian's northern coast.
Australia and the U.S. have had a close military alliance for more than 50 years under the ANZUS treaty and conduct frequent, large-scale joint military exercises.
Australian defense forces have also been involved closely with U.S. military operations in both Iraq wars and in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition government has also joined the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program to develop a new-generation fighter aircraft and has committed to playing a role in the controversial U.S. missile defense shield project.
"The decision to purchase replacement tanks recognizes the modern threat from the proliferation of shoulder-fired anti-armor weapons that our forces may encounter on their missions in the future," Australian Minister for Defense Robert Hill said in a statement Wednesday.
Hill said one of the advantages in choosing the Abrams over other tanks was the package included training systems and the opportunity to use state-of-the-art U.S. simulators.
The Abrams tanks have been criticized by some military observers as being too heavy for use in the Pacific region, particularly in areas where Australian troops have been recently deployed, such as the Solomon Islands and East Timor.
But this criticism was dismissed by the Chief of the Army, Lieutenant-General Peter Leahy at a media conference Wednesday.
He said the new tank would give Australian forces the "ability to match what threat might develop and it gives us an ability to make sure that our soldiers have the combat weight to ensure that they can achieve their mission without undue risk."
Leahy said the current Leopard tanks were becoming "very, very vulnerable" to threats from rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices.
The Abrams is the U.S. army's most advanced battle tank and can reach speeds of 66 kilometers per hour (41 mph).
It carries four crew and has a level of protection for soldiers from nuclear, biological and chemical threats.
The U.S. military currently operates around 3,000 of the vehicles. The tanks figured prominently in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March last year.
