Australia (The Dragon Splits)

Commonwealth of Australia
Timeline: The Dragon Splits
OTL equivalent: Australia
Commonwealth of Australia ; Timeline: The Dragon Splits ; OTL equivalent: Australia
	Coat of arms
Capital	Canberra
Largest city	Sydney
Other cities	Adelaide, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Perth
Official languages	None
National language	English
Demonym	Australian; Aussie (colloquial)
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Establishment	Independence from United Kingdom
Currency	Australian dollar

Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign state located the Southwest Pacific. It comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, several islands within the Pacific and Indian Ocean (Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and the Coral Sea Islands) and parts of Antarctica. The neighboring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest urban area is Sydney.

History[]

20th Century[]

Australia and New Zealand fought alongside the Allied Forces during World War I and World War II. In the Pacific theater of World War II, Australian forces fought in Singapore, Malaya, Burma, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Following the war, Australia and its neighbor New Zealand sought closer ties with the United States and the United Kingdom as a measure to counter the growth of communism in the Asia-Pacific region. Both countries fought alongside the U.S.-led United Nations forces in the Korean War. In 1951, the ANZUS alliance was formed. As part of the alliance, the United States would be able to station naval vessels within Australia and New Zealand territory. However, during the 1980s, New Zealand refused to accept U.S. nuclear powered ships as part of its policies. The alliance would prove useful again during the Gulf War in 1991.

Modern Times[]

The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States was a turning point for the ANZUS treaty. Prime MInister John Howard met U.S. President George W. Bush the day before in the White House. When the attacks occurred, Howard was still in Washington, D.C., stranded because the FAA grounded all flights within the continental United States airspace and diverted the flights to Canada. Using a chartered flight, Howard returned to Australia a week later. As a result of the attack, Australia and New Zealand both provided military units, including special forces and naval ships, in support of the U.S.-led "Operation Enduring Freedom" for support for anti-Taliban operations. Providing 1,550 troops, Australia remains the largest non-NATO contributor of military personnel in Afghanistan.

Between 1999 and 2003, Australia and New Zealand deployed together in a large scale operation in East Timor, to prevent pro-Indonesian militia from overturning a vote for independence on the island.

The possibility of Australian involvement in a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan was also brought up due to the island nation's de facto alliance with the U.S. This was later made clear that before committing forces to fight, the Australian government would first seek consultation with the U.S.

In November 2013, Australia provided relief and aid to the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. This came with personnel, ships, and planes from the Royal Australian Air Force. In 2016, the Royal Australian Navy sold five landing crafts to the Philippine Navy. The country has recently been involved in the South China Sea dispute around 2015-2016, when it deployed ships and maritime patrol aircraft in the area to challenge China's claims in the area. This has been seen positively with their allies such as the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines but has been met with angry responses from China.

Military[]

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its territories. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a number of 'tri-service' units. The ADF has a strength of just over 80,000 full-time personnel and active reservists, and is supported by the Department of Defence and several other civilian agencies.

The ADF trains alongside the forces of New Zealand, the USA, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom in many multinational military exercises. It is a member of the RIMPAC exercise held in Hawaii and southern California every even-numbered year. Recently, the ADF has joined the BALIKATAN exercise held in the Philippines.

Foreign Relations[]

Australia has multiple diplomatic relations with much of the international community. It is a member of the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Culturally identical with New Zealand, both countries have committed cooperation within the Oceania region. Being part of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Anglosphere, it has maintained close ties with the United Kingdom. It has close military, economic, and political ties with the Anglosphere countries of the U.S. and Canada.