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ABCANZ Armies (formally, the American, British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Armies' Program) is a program aimed at optimizing interoperability and standardization of training and equipment between the armies of
Australia,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, plus the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
and the
Royal Marines. Established in 1947 as a means to capitalize on close cooperation between the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the program grew to include Australia (in 1963) and New Zealand (as an
observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
from 1965, with full membership in 2006, although the organization's short title remained "ABCA Armies' Program"
[).
]
History
The program started in 1947 as the "Plan to Effect Standardization" between the armies of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada (the ABC Armies), with the three nations looking to capitalize on the close cooperation between the forces during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. In 1954, the Plan was replaced by the "Basic Standardization Concept".[
Australia joined the organization in 1963, and the ABCA Program was established with the ratification of the "Basic Standardization Agreement 1964" on 1 October 1964.][ In 1965, Australia successfully sponsored the introduction of New Zealand to the agreement as an ]observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
.[
Originally, the role of ABCANZ was limited to issues of standardization for soldier equipment, training, and tactics. Following the ]September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, a review by the Program's Heads of Delegations saw the Program modified to address the changing security environment and improve responsiveness, relevance, and focus on interoperability.[ The overhaul was completed by June 2004.][
Also in 2004, the increasing involvement of the ]United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
was formally recognized with a Memorandum of Understanding between the Corps and the United States Army, allowing both forces to be represented by a single position.[ Following this, the United Kingdom delegation successfully incorporated the Royal Marines.][ New Zealand became a full member of ABCA in early 2006.
]
Equivalent organizations
Equivalent organizations for the nations' navies ( AUSCANNZUKUS - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States naval C4 organization), air forces (ASIC - Air and Space Interoperability Council), the military scientific communities (TTCP - The Technical Cooperation Program
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a long-standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defence science and technology matters, including national security and civil defence. Its membership comprises Australia, Canada, ...
), and the Intelligence communities (UKUSA
The United Kingdom – United States of America Agreement (UKUSA, ) is a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The alliance of intell ...
and Five Eyes
The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in sig ...
) also exist.
See also
* Air and Space Interoperability Council (air forces)
* AUSCANNZUKUS (navies)
* CANZUK
CANZUK is a proposed alliance comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as part of an international organisation or confederation similar in scope to the former European Economic Community. This includes increased trade, ...
* Combined Communications Electronics Board The Combined Communications-Electronics Board (CCEB) is a five-nation joint military communications-electronics (C-E) organisation whose mission is the coordination of any military C-E matter that is referred to it by a member nation. The member na ...
(communication-electronics)
* Five Eyes
The Five Eyes (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These countries are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in sig ...
(intelligence)
* The Technical Cooperation Program
The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a long-standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defence science and technology matters, including national security and civil defence. Its membership comprises Australia, Canada, ...
(technology and science)
* UKUSA Agreement
The United Kingdom – United States of America Agreement (UKUSA, ) is a multilateral agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The alliance of intellig ...
(signal intelligence)
References
*Durrell-Young, Thomas, ''Cooperative Diffusion through Cultural Similarity: The Postwar Anglo-Saxon Experience'' in Goldman & Eliason (eds.), The Diffusion of Military Technology and Ideas, Stanford Univ Press, 2003.
External links
ABCA: A Petri Dish for Multinational Interoperability
dtic.mil
Australian "Army News"
Making the Case for Multinational Military Doctrine
dtic.mil
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abca Armies
Anglosphere
United States Army doctrine
British Army
Canadian Army
Australian Army
New Zealand Army
International military organizations
Military standardization