Vietnam Troops NEW AUSTRALIAN FORCE AT LIMIT

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31005, 10 March 1966, Page 17

Vietnam Troops NEW AUSTRALIAN FORCE AT LIMIT

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

CANBERRA, March 9.

The Australian Government regards the trebling of its forces in Vietnam to 4500 men as the upper limit of its resources in the forseeable future.

Government spokesmen emphasised today that the increase should in no sense be seen merely as a point in escalation.

The Government is believed to have examined what would be the most effective contribution it could make, and at the same time get a force which would be used in the best possible way.

The Prime Minister, Mr Harold Holt, said today that the force of 4500 men would be able to conduct its own campaigns. Any smaller force would have had to be integrated with American forces. Under a unified command, the Australian group would have its own leader, and would have responsibiity for its own logistic arrangements and specialist troops. No Referendum Merely to have added another battalion to the Australian force would have placed that battalion in a United States regiment. Mr Holt rejected a suggestion by the Opposition leader. Mr Arthur Calwell. that the Government should hold , a referendum on whether conscripts should be sent abroad. He said there was no similarity between the present situation and that in 1916-17, when referenda were held. At that time the call-up was for an indefinite period; at present, national servicemen were called up for two years, of which one year would be spent in training. Election Soon Mr Holt said the government would be facing the electors soon, and would be answerable to them for its actions. “I am confident the

public will give us its support,” he said. Mr Holt said Australia had no alternative to sending national servicemen to Vietnam if it was to meet its defence commitments. Although the lower ranks of the Australian Army were the highest-paid troops in the world, the Army had been unable to induce sufficient men of the desired age to enlist. Mr Holt said the government’s military advisers had told it Australia could support the number of troops now committed to Vietnam as well as in other obligations to Malaysia. British Withdrawal Asked how he justified his remarks before the arrival of the British Defence Minister. Mr Denis Healey, about the difficulty of expanding commitments and at the same time maintaining Australia’s growth, Mr Holt said that at that time Australia did not know just what was in store. There had been proposals in Britain for a complete withdrawal east of Suez, and if this had occurred, burdens

would have been imposed , which would have made it difficult for Australia to pursue its own development. Mr Holt said the present decision was in no sense inconsistent with the government’s general view on economic expansion. The government believed it could hold to the proposed defence effort, and at the same time press forward with a development programme.