Your D.171. Australian Defence Committee has considered proposal
of armaments truce and makes the following observations.

The Defence Forces of Australia are at this time at a low ebb.

Demobilisation of the war-time forces has just been completed. The
post-war forces are still under consideration and have not yet
been approved by the Government. It therefore follows that this
country is at present unable to fulfil her part of her publicly
expressed policy with regard to international security which
entails the provision of forces as follows:-

Future defence policy will be governed by the forces to be placed
at the disposal of the United Nations for the maintenance of
international peace and security, including regional arrangements
in the Pacific, the forces to be maintained by Australia under
arrangements for co-operation in Empire Defence, and the forces to
be maintained by Australia to provide for self-defence.

We note the consideration being given by the United Kingdom to
proposals for an armaments truce. If truce were now agreed upon
Australia would not be permitted to constitute the forces
necessary for her own protection and would remain virtually
defenceless. The measures now in train to remedy the present
position would be deferred for the duration of the truce. Should
the truce be broken Australia would be at a major disadvantage.

From the Australian defence point of view an armaments truce by
all nations at this stage is quite unacceptable. Should a truce be
confined to the five major powers, we consider it would not be
effective until a practical system of exchange of information and
verification could be instituted. Further, certain major powers
have other powers so closely associated with them that unless the
truce were also applied to the associated powers it would be
ineffective.

Further to our 85, Defence Committee consider that the willingness
of Member Nations to publish information on armed forces and agree
to a system of verification of such information will encourage
international confidence, and, at the same time constitute a
practical step towards disarmament.