[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.

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