VOA标准英语2009-Australia to Beef Up Military as Regional Defens

Australia plans an overhaul¹ of its armed forces in preparation for a more volatile² Asia-Pacific region caused by the United States' fading dominance and China's rise. The government plans to buy 12 submarines along with an array of ships, helicopters and combat aircraft.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wants his country to become a maritime³ power of the 21st century. His plan to remodel⁴ the defense⁵ force includes 12 new submarines, 100 fighter jets and missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers.

The navy is the big winner, with three new air warfare⁶ destroyers, six heavy landing ships and 24 naval⁷ combat helicopters.

Mr. Rudd says the biggest re-organization of defense planning in a decade is in response to military expansion in other parts of the region.

"There are in certain parts of the region the build-up of armed forces. We simply need to take a calm, measured, responsible approach for the future to make sure that our army, navy and air force have the resources they need for the future," he said. "They're a fantastic group of professional men and women. We just want to make sure they're properly equipped for the future and proper defense planning means this, being prepared for the whole range of national security challenges in the future."

Defense chiefs in Canberra say that China's military build-up could be a cause for concern in the region.

While the government does not foresee any confrontation⁸ with the Chinese, it is planning for it, just in case.

Opposition⁹ leader Malcolm Turnbull says Prime Minister Rudd is sending out confused messages to both the United States and the Chinese.

"It makes no sense for Australia in 2009 to base its long-term strategy on the highly contentious¹⁰ proposition that Australia is on an inevitable¹¹ collision course with a militarily aggressive China," said Malcolm. "The risk of Mr. Rudd presenting himself as some kind of trans-Pacific interlocutor is that he will be perceived by the Americans as being overly sympathetic to China and by the Chinese as a bearer of other people's messages, rather than an advocate of his own.'

But Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says the plan outlined in a new policy document is a sensible approach to a changing region.

"The paper acknowledges that U.S. dominance will be a constant right throughout the period of this White Paper; for the next 20 years. But it also acknowledges that we have an emergence¹² of new powers, including the re-emergence of Russia, and that will of course lead to some strategic competition across the globe," he said. "In other words, we need to be able to defend our country without necessarily relying on the assistance of other nation states."

But the government says while Australia should be more self-reliant militarily, the United States will remain an indispensable ally.

Some defense analysts¹³ worry that Australia's military expansion plans are the wrong way to respond to the growth in China's armed forces.

Professor Hugh White, an expert on strategic studies at the Australian National University, thinks that more thoughtful diplomacy¹⁴ is needed.

"The really important thing is to make sure that Australia contributes to the evolution in Asia of a new way of doing business in Asia - a new Asian order in which China's growing power can be peacefully accommodated and that is primarily a diplomatic task," he said. "I don't think the present government has done nearly enough to try and really contribute to the shaping of a new regional order in Asia.'

The government has yet to say how much its plans will cost, although some estimates put the price tag in excess of $70 billion, which will be spent over several years.

Australia has a relatively¹⁵ small but technically¹⁶ advanced defense force, with about 50,000 personnel, 3,000 of which are serving overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

3 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

4 remodel   

v.改造，改型，改变

参考例句：

• Workmen were hired to remodel and enlarge the farm buildings.雇用了工人来改造和扩建农场建筑。
• I'll remodel the downstairs bedroom first.我先要装修楼下那间房间。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

7 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

8 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

11 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

12 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

15 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

16 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。