John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hutchins for his question. Last week I did have the opportunity to participate in meetings with defence ministers from countries comprising the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Defence ministers from Regional Command South nations received an extensive briefing from Major General Mart de Kruiff regarding the current situation in the region, which is acknowledged to be the most dangerous in Afghanistan and is where the risk of attack by insurgents is the greatest. Ministers also participated in discussions about the challenges faced by and future organisation of military efforts in Regional Command South.

The ISAF component of the subsequent NATO defence ministers’ meeting provided me with an opportunity to advise NATO of Australia’s enhanced commitment to the conflict in Afghanistan, the largest to ISAF by any non-NATO nation—a very critical contribution to the international community’s efforts for the stabilisation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. I was able to reinforce Australia’s commitment to Afghanistan, Australia’s support for the additional US presence in Afghanistan, the need to focus on the training of the indigenous Afghan security forces and the need for certainty regarding future NATO operations in Oruzgan province. I was accompanied on the visit by the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of the Department of Defence, and their attendance very much assisted in providing a valuable opportunity for strategic discussions on progress and the challenges faced in Afghanistan.