Three visions of the bomb: Australian thinking about nuclear weapons and strategy

Abstract

This article argues that, over the decades, Australians have held three different, coherent, long-lived ‘visions’ of nuclear weapons and strategy. Those visions—which we have labelled Menzian, Gortonian and disarmer—compete on four grounds: the role that nuclear weapons play in international order; the doctrine of deterrence; the importance of arms control; and the relevance of nuclear weapons to Australia's specific needs. We believe this ‘textured’ framework provides a richer, more satisfying, and more accurate understanding of Australian nuclear identity, both past and present, than previous scholarship has yielded. Moreover, the competition between the three visions might not be at an end. Changes in international norms, in proliferation rates, in regional strategic dynamics, or even in the deterrence doctrines of the major powers could easily reawaken some old, enduring debates. Australian nuclear identity faces an uncertain future.

Notes

1.The authors would like to thank Dr Brad Roberts, Professor William Walker and Professor David Yost, as well as two anonymous reviewers, for comments upon an earlier draft.

2. Strategic Basis Papers (SBPs) were guidance documents prepared by the defence establishment and endorsed by the defence chiefs of staff or defence committees. They would outline the environment, challenges and opportunities informing Australian defence policy and provide recommendations to the government of the day. The subsequent SBP citations in this article are taken from Frühling (2009).

3. See, for example, SBP 1968: paras 123, 157. Indeed, the rationale was that ‘a major military threat against Australia would be the final stage in a long series of developments’ (SBP 1975: para. 4).

4. This recommendation was also reportedly contained in the SBP of 1983 (see Toohey and Wilkinson 1987: 241–2). Even Bob Hawke's foreign minister, Bill Hayden, noted that Australian research should provide a nuclear weapons potential (see Hayden 1996: 422–3).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christine Leah

Christine Leah is a doctoral candidate in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, Canberra

Rod Lyon

Rod Lyon is the Director of the Strategy and International Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra