Australian Official Endorses Free-Trade Talks.

A senior defense official at the Australian Embassy, in Washington, D.C., is a proponent of a free-trade agreement between Australia and the United States. At a recent lunch with NDIA's International Committee, he expressed the view that the two countries ought to work together to ease the difficulty of importing and exporting weapons systems.

Australia's security plans have been in the spotlight for the better part of the last year, after its defense minister released a white paper summing up the capabilities and future needs of the Australian force. The white paper was the "most far-reaching defense policy paper published by the Australian government in the last 25 years," the defense official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

The paper reflected the views of the Australian public and the defense community. However, the official noted, the paper does not signal a change in strategic direction. Rather, it "embodies a new, long-term approach to defense planning."

The official explained that Australia's strategic relationship with the United States helps Australia maintain stability in the region, and requires that both nations work together. "The easier it is for Australia to access U.S. technology, the easier it will be for us to remain interoperable. A free trade agreement could help in that respect. We do exercises together all the time, and we want to maintain that ability to interoperate. Most of our hardware is already U.S. design or purchase," he added.

"Because of the overall size and diversity of our economic relationship, improving Australia's access to the U.S. market could significantly improve the U.S.-Australia trade relationship," the official said. However, he also noted that "a downturn in the U.S. economy could have a devastating effect on Australian economic prospects."

A trade official with the Australian Embassy, when reached for comment, said that talks regarding a free-trade agreement are in the "very early days. We are simply dignifying our interest in doing it," she said. "There have been private discussions with people around town, and we are laying the groundwork for why it would be a good idea. Australia sees the merits of a bilateral free trade agreement and is exploring the idea informally with the United States."

The trade official also noted that during the past decade, Australia's gross domestic product and productivity levels have been higher than those of the United States. At the same time, Australia's consumer price index has been lower than that of the United States. According to the Australian Embassy, these factors indicate a positive environment for free-trade agreement opportunities.

Millenium Award for Cannon Artillery Excellence

The November issue reported that a representative of United Defense LP received the Millennium Award for Cannon Artillery Excellence at the International Artillery Symposium. According to Dominick DeMella, however, chairman of the 6th International Cannon Artillery Symposium and Exhibition in Picatinny, N.J., this award was presented at the same time to other recipients, namely:

* The U.S. Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill.

* The U.S. Army Operations Support Command.

* The U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

* The U.S. Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny, NJ.

* Alliant Techsystems.

* Aerojet

The Millennium Award is an initiative of Arm/s Research Development and Engineering Center and the Picatinny Chapter of NDIA.