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Professor James Curran’s article, “ ” (Nov 8), gives a good description of the security issues faced by Asean nations, and of Australia’s intention to play a bigger defence role in the region. The United States is going to station B-52 bombers in northern Australia. Also, for the first time, Australia intends to purchase nuclear-powered submarines. These two decisions will have significant implications for Singapore and Malaysia, as we are members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, which includes Australia. Will the B-52 bombers and the submarines be allowed to use the military bases and ports of Singapore and Malaysia? Will Australia’s new equipment protect Singapore and Malaysia should a war occur in the region?  Our defence strategy and infrastructure will also have to change for us to play an effective part in the Five Power Defence Arrangements. Do we know what these changes would be? Also, do we know how other South-east Asian nations will react to the presence of B-52 bombers and nuclear-powered submarines in the region?  The buying of more military hardware and the establishment of more multinational defence arrangements will only deplete resources and create more suspicions among nations. Should a military conflict occur between the US and China, nations in South-east Asia would suffer in one way or another. The most ideal solution is to get the US and China to talk and settle their dispute peacefully. Australia can play an important part in that.