Updated
In the wake of the signing of a new defence and strategic treaty between Australia and the UK, the chiefs of both countries' defence forces have been meeting in Canberra. Recent events in Africa were raised in a discussion at a lunch, where they gave hints as to how they plan to combat extremism on the continent.
Lexi Metherell
Source: PM | Duration: 4min 17sec
Topics: defence-and-national-security, canberra-2600
SALLY SARA: The hostage crisis in the North African country of Algeria has come to a bloody end.
Officials now say up to 48 captives were killed in the attack at a gas facility.
The bloodshed and battle against Islamists in neighbouring Mali have highlighted concerns that Africa could become a new focal point of violent extremism.
The Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General David Hurley discussed the issue, during talks with his UK counterpart in Canberra today.
General Hurley has signalled there will be a major shift in the role of the ADF, after draw downs from East Timor, Afghanistan and the Solomon Islands.
Lexi Metherell reports.
LEXI METHERELL: When it comes to Australia's strategic and foreign policy priorities in recent years, Africa has not featured highly.
But that may be changing.
The head of the ADF, General David Hurley has suggested Defence is thinking more closely about Africa, given Australia's links to the continent's mining industry.
DAVID HURLEY: I think if you look at Australia's mining investments, for example, or the extraction industries in Africa at the present time, I think there are roughly 4-5,000 Australians registered in Africa in that industry, so we have significant commercial and industry extraction interests there.
Having said that, you'll know I've started to study it, if not today, but previously and we are just looking at what Australia's interests are in the region and we'll have the conversation with government about how that is to be managed.
LEXI METHERELL: General Hurley has been holding talks with his British counterpart General David Richards, in the wake of the signing of a defence and strategic treaty between the two countries.
And in a public discussion in Canberra today, General Richards said recent events in Africa show the need for Western forces to continue to maintain close ties as they prepare to draw down in Afghanistan.
DAVID RICHARDS: On what's happened in the last few days, I think that rather proves the point that we need to put meaningful operational flesh on political ambition. You have to train hard and you have to be confident in each other's commanders so that we are called upon, as the French have been, to respond to a very difficult situation in Mali, you can do it quickly and efficiently.
I'm very confident that in our cases, we can do that, but we shouldn't take it for granted. You'd have to work at that in order to be able to do it, because in this day and age as all of us in uniform know, it's going to happen at short notice and you're going to be required to get it right.
LEXI METHERELL: As well as the need for close military cooperation, General Richards says other lessons have also been learned from the Afghanistan conflict.
DAVID RICHARDS: The Libyan operation last year to a degree shows that we are learning some lessons. We didn't get involved with our own boots on the ground, we insured that allies who know the region well did most of that and allowed the Libyan forces themselves to become, if you like, the army, as we provided the air and maritime components to the operation.
So, I give you a feel for quite a low level, but also politically important lesson.
LEXI METHERELL: The executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings says that strategy in Libya is likely to be replicated throughout Africa as the West tries to combat extremism on the continent.
PETER JENNINGS: There are a significant number of African countries which do have relatively capable military forces. So forces which are certainly able to manage their own internal security.
And I think what will happen is that there will be more partnering between so-called Western countries and African nations involving the training of African military forces to undertake this type of work.
More broadly as well, not simply in counter terror, but in peace keeping operations on the continent as well.
And it will be a case of major powers seeking to work more closely with African states that share the same sorts of interests in wanting to make sure that terrorism doesn't take a foothold in different African countries.
SALLY SARA: That's executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings ending that report by Lexi Metherell.
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