Aussie general stands tall at US Army HQ
THE TWO-STAR general in the Australian Defence Force stands out among the soldiers at the US Army’s headquarters for the Pacific.
Major General Richard Burr is responsible for directing their training and exercises as US Army Pacific’s deputy commander for operations.
The army is also making Burr their liaison to New Zealand, his homeland Australia and countries in Southeast Asia.
Burr’s appointment – the first time a non-American has served in such a highranking position at a command like this – symbolises the army’s push to connect more with allies in the Pacific as it implements the Obama Administration’s policy to ‘‘rebalance’’ national defence strategy towards the region.
Burr reports to Lieutenant General Francis Wiercinski, a three-star general and US Army Pacific’s top commander, and is responsible for most US soldiers in the region, except those in South Korea.
Burr said his presence in Hawaii tells others the US Army is open to broadening its relationships. ‘‘I think it sends a very positive message to all countries in the region – not just our two countries – that stronger partnerships is really the way to go,’’ Burr said last week, one month after arriving for the new job.
The position reflects a deepening of an already close relationship between the US and Australia. Burr commanded Australian troops in Afghanistan in 2002 and during the invasion of Iraq the following year. In 2008, he commanded all coalition special forces – including Americans – in Afghanistan.
The 49-year-old says these experiences mean Americans know him, and know he takes the responsibility of commanding US troops seriously.
‘‘This is quite unique. You’re sort of letting someone in to look in your undies drawer. You want to have trust,’’ he said.
Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank, said putting a foreign officer in the direct line of command shows ‘‘unprecedented closeness’’.
Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the EastWest Centre in Honolulu, said Burr’s appointment shows Australia is firmly in the inner circle of US allies. Being there gives Australia access to the latest intelligence and helps it understand how the US thinks and acts.