Minister Scott, Honored Guests and above all Friends:

I want to welcome you all to this reception aboard USS Kitty Hawk. The visit of this great ship to Sydney and our presence aboard her this evening marks one of the important events being held to commemorate the signing of the ANZUS treaty a half century ago.

Looking back over the past five decades, we have a great deal to celebrate and much to take pride in. We all would agree that much has changed in this half century. But certain things have not: The U.S. and Australia remain free, vibrantly, strong, and democratic countries. We are partners by choice in one of the world's most successful alliances. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region of which we are both a part, is at peace and enjoys a level of prosperity that was unimaginable 50 years ago.

None of this happened by chance or came easily. The past half century has been tumultuous. As we stand here this evening it is hard to remember how fresh were the scars of the Second World War when the ANZUS Treaty was signed. With growing instability and an increasing threat to the Asia-Pacific, the leaders of Australia and the United States determined that the key to promoting enduring peace lay in formalizing and strengthening the continued cooperation of our war-time partnership. Thanks to the wisdom and farsightedness of the Australian and American statesmen of that era, who were joined by their New Zealand colleagues, an instrument was drafted that became one the key security cornerstones of this immense and enormously diverse region.

As we recall all too well, World War II was followed quickly by the Cold War. In the Pacific, of course, that term was often a misnomer. The struggle for liberty and democracy in this region all too often became a hot, shooting war, in which Australian and American service personnel fought side-by-side to defend our shared values.

We are now, of course, in a new era, one which does not yet really have a name, but which many conveniently call the post-Cold War period. Some would question the relevance of our continued links under the ANZUS Treaty, given all the changes of the last decade. But I think we're standing on the response to that query. History teaches that we must be prepared for the unexpected. And those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Our military relationship was cemented in late 1941 under enormously difficult circumstances. Both Australians and Americans are peace-loving people. They were ill prepared when war was thrust upon them. American and Australian units had never exercised or trained together. They were thrown into the breach to try to stop surprise attacks across the Pacific. I was in Darwin on February 19 for the 59^th anniversary of that devastating raid and I talked to some of the surviving witnesses of the attack, some from the USS Perry that was sunk that day. Their description of the fear and confusion as enemy bombers caught our naval and air units completely flat-footed remains with me vividly.

Australia and the United States eventually prevailed in that war, thanks in great part to the courage of Australian soldiers on the Kokoda Trail, at Gona, at Milne (MILLIN) Bay and elsewhere across the Pacific, in North Africa, and in Europe. Australian and American ships also fought side by side. The USS Houston and HMAS Perth still lie together at the bottom of Bantem Harbor, after battling a much larger enemy fleet invading Java. HMAS Canberra similarly shares a common resting place with her sister American cruisers that went down in the fierce naval battles off Guadalcanal in Iron Bottom Sound.

As stirring as it is to recall the valor and sacrifice of those early years of World War II, we never want to be caught in that position again. The ANZUS Treaty forms a major bulwark for peace, security and stability in this region. It also ensures we are prepared by providing the foundation for a strong security relationship between Australia and the U.S. -- one to which both of us make major contributions. Our Alliance provides the structure as well that facilitates regular cross-training, the exchange of more than 80 officers annually between our two militaries, and large-scale exercises such as Tandem Thrust -- the reason Kitty Hawk is in Australian waters now. It also allows us to move quickly together when the need arrives, such as in East Timor, where U.S. elements supported Australia's impressive contribution to building a new, and democratic nation to your north. Thanks to our close links and associations under ANZUS -- along with a lot of hard work and tough training -- our two countries are vastly better prepared for whatever the future may hold than we were in 1941, and the whole world knows it. The Pacific is much the safer as a result.

Let me close by reflecting on what a privilege it is to work with the dedicated Australians and Americans who are assembled on this deck. Your spirit of cooperation and sense of duty make serving as Ambassador to Australia one of the most rewarding assignments in my career in the Foreign Service. May our Alliance endure, and our two countries prosper in peace while continuing to enjoy the freedoms for which we have given so much.

Thank you.