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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia will increase the size of its army by 2,600 troops to deal with rising security threats in the Asia-Pacific region and to contribute to possible future military operations like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prime minister said Thursday.
Citing recent chaos in East Timor and the Solomon Islands, where Australia has sent troops to help restore peace, Prime Minister John Howard said Australia faced "ongoing and increasing instances of destabilized and failing states in our own region."
Such problems could continue in the region for years, and Australia — as the largest and wealthiest country in the region — would be expected to help solve them, Howard told a news conference. He mentioned Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu as potential new trouble spots.
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