In Geopolitics Today - Friday, December 10th
Australia Switches Army Helicopters and End of US-led Combat Operations in Iraq
Australia Switches Army Helicopters
The Australian government has announced the decision to retire the country’s fleet of MRH90 Taipan helicopters a decade before their intended decommissioning date due to the unreliable nature of the vehicles. The Australian government has now formally requested advice from the United States on the acquisition of up to 40 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for the Australian army as an alternative platform to the MRH90. The move marks the second time this year that Canberra has unilaterally withdrawn from military acquisition agreements in order to obtain US military hardware for its own forces.
The decision was made after the European Taipan fleet of helicopters was apparently unable to meet contracted availability requirements, and after many studies demonstrated the expected cost of ownership to be unaffordable going forward. Australian defence minister Peter Dutton said as much when he noted that the performance issues with the MRH90 Taipan have been a well-documented concern for defence forces, and that continued efforts at maintaining the fleet would have translated to mounting costs. Dutton made clear that the Australian defence forces must possess “a safe, reliable and capable utility helicopter” which is accompanied by “reasonable and predictable operating costs.” One of the issues plaguing the design of the Taipan fleet is said to be the fact that the helicopter’s door is too narrow for the operation of its gun while troops were descending.
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that Australia is now looking to buy is the most widely used utility helicopter variant in the world, with the UH-60M being the latest version in service with the armed forces of the US and other nations for over a decade. While Dutton did not provide a date of delivery or even a tally of the costs associated with the UH-60M acquisition, he said Australian taxpayers will save roughly $2.5 billion through 2037. Dutton said the new helicopters would mean Australian forces will be more in line with those of the US, an important consideration given the increasing alignment of the two in recent years, particularly in matters pertaining to security.
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End of US-led Combat Operations in Iraq
The Iraqi military has announced an end to the US-led combat mission in Iraq. Qassim al-Araji, Iraq’s national security adviser, announced the news following the final round of technical talks held in order to formally end US combat operations in the country, most of which has involved rooting out ISIL (ISIS). With the official end of US-led operations expected by the end of 2021, forces from the US-led coalition will transition into an advisory role assisting Iraqi forces going forward.
The withdrawal follows years-long turmoil in the Iraqi parliament over the withdrawal of foreign troops. US President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced in July that the United States would have no combat troops in Iraq by December 31, and this recent announcement indicates that process is expected to conclude on time. The US-led coalition pulled back its dispersed troops and weapons systems in Iraq last year and has since consolidated at major bases in Baghdad and Erbil. Often the target of popular discontent in civilian areas, US forces now remain in an advisory role safe in heavily-fortified bases where they assist Iraqi armed forces conduct operations and provide them with intelligence data.
But the official end of combat operations does not signal the end of US forces in Iraq. US forces will remain in Iraq in all the remaining US military bases established in the region on top of their advisory role for the Iraqi armed forces. Nevertheless, the end of operations is likely to bring an end to air and artillery strikes throughout Iraq. Expecting Iraq to rely on US assistance in the future, Biden administration officials expressed an openness to additional requests for support from the Iraqi government. Following immense pressure from armed militias in recent months, the announcement is perhaps aimed at easing tensions with militia fighters in Iraq as the US prepares to withdraw its troops before the year ends.
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