Operation Sovereign Borders – Australia’s “military-led, border security operation”

Travers McLeod, CPD’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, suggests that if ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ is being approached as a military operation then it should be assessed as one. Travers’ article in The Age assesses the tactics that have been planned and those discarded, as well as the one most highly focused on – towing or turning back the boats.

There has also been a large focus on information operations (IO) with a decline of comments on ‘on water’ matters. The control of IO is made difficult however, with multiple target audiences including Australians, regional governments, asylum seekers and people smugglers.

‘Winning the border war by keeping secrets’

“Taking stock, one might observe Australia has a strategy supported by at least one tactic, and that its information operations are under siege. This observation is made without considering whether the current strategy is the ”correct” one. The Jakarta Declaration on Addressing Irregular Movement of Persons, signed by Australia and 12 other countries from the region last August, and endorsed by the UN Refugee Agency, offers other approaches.”

Read Travers’ article at The Age

Learn more about Operation Sovereign Borders at CPD’s Refugee Facts