ANZUS Treaty

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The ANZUS Treaty (Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty) is a military alliance, in which all three promise to cooperate on matters of defense in the Pacific Ocean.

Orgin

When initially created, all three countries had binding agreements between the other two memebers. This was created shortly after World War II, in which Japan came close to the Australain mainland. The United States wanted to regain a positive relationship with Japan, but Australia and New Zealand were weary of this happening. Australia and New Zealand agreed to allow Japan to rearm, only if the United States would promise help for defense.

Today

Today the agreement is only binding between Australia and the United States, and Australia and New Zealand. In 1985, New Zealand banned all nuclear ships from entering their ports. When the ship USS Buchanan tried to enter a New Zealand port in early 1985, the ship was blocked entry, because the US Navy would not confirm which ships had nuclear capabilities and which did not. The United States suspended the terms in the orginal ANZUS treaty, until which time US Naval ships would be allowed to enter New Zealand ports, which has not occured today, leading the United States to have no formal treaty with New Zealand.

Use of the Treaty

While the United States and Australia have fought together in the Korean Conflict, Vietnam Conflict and the Gulf Conflict, the only time that the ANZUS Treaty has officially been invoked was in the attacks of September 11, 2001, when the American mainland came under attack.

Sources

Anzus. (n.d.). Retrieved Apr. 11, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS.