Australia's Defense Plan.

• Position: Brief Article

More than a year in the works, the Australian defense white paper finally was unveiled last December. The essence of the document is Australia's desire to pursue a "policy of self-reliance" in defense matters, said Rear Adm. Simon Harrington, Australian defense attache in Washington, D.C. The white paper predicts that Australian defense spending will stay in the range of $13 billion to $14 billion a year during the next decade.

As far as Australia's ties with...