[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 175 (Wednesday, November 16, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7604-S7605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES-AUSTRALIA
ALLIANCE
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 324, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 324) commemorating the 60th
Anniversary of the United States-Australia alliance.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate,
and that any statements related thereto be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 324) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 324
Whereas the United States Government enhanced its
relationship with the Governments of Australia and New
Zealand with the signing of the Australia-New Zealand-United
States (ANZUS) Treaty on September 1, 1951, and subsequently
engaged in annual, bilateral Australian-United States
Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations between the Australian
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence and the United
States Secretaries of State and Defense, including a meeting
in San Francisco in September 2011 that commemorated the 60th
anniversary of the United States-Australia alliance;
Whereas the alliance remains fundamental to the security of
Australia and the United States and to the peace, stability,
and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, and is one
dimension of a broad and deep relationship between the two
countries that encompasses robust bilateral strategic,
intelligence, trade, and investment relations based on shared
interests and values, a common history and cultural
traditions, and mutual respect;
Whereas numerous visits by Presidents of the United States,
including this week by President Barack Obama, and by the
Australian Prime Minister to the United States, including in
2011 when Prime Minister Julia Gillard addressed a Joint
Session of Congress, have underscored the strength and
closeness of the relationship;
Whereas members of the United States and Australian armed
forces have fought side-by-side in every major conflict since
the First World War, with the commitment to mutual defense
and security between the United States and Australia being
longstanding and unshakeable, as was demonstrated by the
joint decision to invoke the ANZUS Treaty in the aftermath of
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Australia
continue to share a common approach to the most pressing
issues in global defense and security, including in
Afghanistan, where about 1,550 Australian Defence Force
personnel are deployed, and in response to natural disasters
and humanitarian crises, such as in Japan following the
earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011;
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently stated,
``We are expanding our alliance with Australia from a Pacific
partnership to an Indo-Pacific one, and indeed a global
partnership. . . . Australia's counsel and commitment have
been indispensable.'';
Whereas Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently remarked
that ``the United States has no closer ally than Australia. .
. . [We] affirm this alliance, affirm that it remains strong,
and that we are determined to deepen our security cooperation
even further to counter the threats and challenges that we
face in the future.'';
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Australia
agreed to set up a Force Posture Working Group at the
November 2010 AUSMIN to examine options to align respective
force postures consistent with the national security
requirements of both countries and to help positively shape
the regional security environment;
Whereas the United States and Australia committed in a
Joint Statement on Cyberspace during the 2011 AUSMIN meeting
to consult together and determine appropriate options to
address any threats;
Whereas the Government of Australia is a major purchaser of
United States military resources, approximately 50 percent of
Australia's war-fighting assets are sourced from the United
States, and the Government of Australia has plans to spend a
substantial sum over the next 10-15 years to update or
replace up to about 85 percent of its military equipment;
Whereas, on September 29, 2010, the Senate provided its
advice and consent to ratification of the Treaty Between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government
of Australia Concerning Defense Trade Cooperation, signed at
Sydney, Australia, September 5, 2007, which will facilitate
defense trade between the two nations and enhance
interoperability between military forces;
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Australia
support open, transparent, and inclusive regional
architectures to preserve and enhance peace, security, and
prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region;
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Australia
cooperate closely in regional and global forums, as evidenced
by Australia's support for the United States as the host this
month of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 2011
and the United States' support for Australia to host the G-20
in 2014;
Whereas the United States and Australia elevated their
trade relationship through the Australia-United States Free
Trade Agreement that entered into force on January 1, 2005,
and exports of United States goods to Australia have risen by
53 percent since that time, totaling $21,900,000,000 in 2010;
Whereas the United States is Australia's largest
destination for foreign investment, helping create jobs for
United States workers, with Australian companies employing
more than 88,000 people directly in the United States;
Whereas the Governments and people of the United States and
Australia work closely to advance and support human rights,
the rule of law, and basic freedoms worldwide;
Whereas the Governments and people of the United States and
Australia work jointly and separately to support democracy,
economic reform, and good governance in the Pacific Islands,
Southeast Asia, South and Central Asia, the Middle East, and
North Africa, among other areas of the world; and
Whereas the Governments of the United States and Australia
are working through their respective aid agencies (USAID and
AusAID) and also exploring opportunities for collaboration
across a wide variety of areas: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the United States-
Australia alliance and takes this opportunity to reiterate
the enduring significance of this historic friendship that
[[Page S7605]]
serves as an anchor of peace, stability, and prosperity in
the Asia-Pacific region and in the world;
(2) supports United States efforts to strengthen military,
diplomatic, trade, economic, and people-to-people cooperation
with Australia, including initiatives to positively shape the
evolving strategic and economic environment that connects the
Indian and the Pacific Oceans; and
(3) urges close consultation between the Governments of the
United States and Australia in preparation for the East Asia
Summit to be chaired by Indonesia on November 19, 2011, and
encourages other, new forms of cooperation with the
Government and people of Australia that strengthen regional
architectures to enhance peace, security, and prosperity in
the Asia-Pacific region.
____________________