DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
MSPA 510/10
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Chief of the Defence Force Conference - Counterinsurgency and
Stabilisation in the 21st Century
The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston has held the inaugural
Chief of the Defence Force Conference at the Australian Defence College in Canberra.
The conference entitled Beyond Asymmetry: Counterinsurgency and Stabilisation in the 21st
Century focuses on one of the most challenging issues facing Australia at the regional and
international levels.
Air Chief Marshal Houston said the two-day conference would enable the regional security
community to come together to analyse the complexity of the modern strategic security
environment.
“Stabilisation interventions have occurred in our immediate region, in Timor-Leste in 1999
and 2006 and the Solomon Islands in 2003. These nation-building missions remain ongoing
for both the ADF and our various regional partners and other Government agency
colleagues,” Air Chief Marshal Houston said.
“Beyond our region, we continue to contribute to military contingencies in areas such as the
Middle East and Africa to uphold global security through missions that embrace peace
operations, maritime security and counter-piracy.
“In Afghanistan, our aim is to prevent that nation from again being used by terrorists to plan,
prepare and train to undertake attacks against Australians. We face a determined, skilled and
very well supported insurgent group.
“Broadly, General Petraeus’ comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy uses all means
available to us to target the insurgency’s support structures and destroying its ability to disrupt
security, development and governance.
“Importantly, the effort is across governments, agencies, military and civilian areas of
expertise.
“The ultimate aim for military commanders in any counterinsurgency and stabilisation
mission is to ‘shape, clear, hold, build’ against insurgent adversaries and then to transfer the
bulk of responsibility for security from the intervention forces to the indigenous forces.
“We must view the building of stability in fragile states as a process in which military assets,
political timelines and development benchmarks are sequenced to allow a progressive
handover to sustainable governments.”
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545
The biennial conference allows military, civilian and academic professionals who work in the
security environment to exchange ideas and learn from field experience and academic
analysis.
The conference has been internationally supported with presenters from India, Pakistan,
Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as several special
representatives from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Media note:
Media Contacts:
Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
