Australia’s outgoing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military envoy has warned against complacency in conflict, saying North Korea’s “strengthened partnership” with Russia would mean “more combat-ready troops operating in our region.”
Air Vice Marshal De Turton is preparing to return to Canberra after two years as Australia’s military representative to NATO and the European Union in Brussels.
A two-star officer, she is one of the most senior women in the Australian Defense Force (ADF).
she spoke exclusively to ABC before finishing her stint in Europe.
Air Vice Marshal Turton said global conflicts were “once completely geographically isolated or geographically bounded, but are now much more interconnected” and warned Australia was not immune.
“There is no starker reminder of that than the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia.” [in its invasion of Ukraine]” she said.
“What we’re seeing there is the North Korean military gaining combat experience and being exposed to weapons systems that Western countries have and deploy.”
Air Vice Marshal Dee Turton is one of the most senior women in the ADF. (ABC News: Daniel Punnett)
North Korea is sending thousands of troops to support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began nearly four years ago.
Analysts claim it has given the hermit kingdom’s nuclear-armed military significant combat experience.
“We’re going to see more rapid response forces operating in our region, and we’re going to see increased connectivity and a stronger partnership between North Korea and Russia,” Air Vice Marshal Turton said.
“And this could lead to a number of things, including technology transfer, that will impact our region.”
North Korea is already An intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting mainland Australia and all of Tasmania..
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un laughs with soldiers during a visit to the base in November. (Provided by: KCNA, via Reuters)
Air Vice Marshal Turton has been at the table at many important NATO meetings over the past two years as allied military leaders seek ways to support Ukraine. She was usually the only woman in the room.
“If I leave, there will be no women in our allies, there will be no women in our partner countries,” she told the ABC.
“But I’m sure there will be more to come.”
Air Vice Marshal Turton is a self-proclaimed optimist. This, as well as the future of war-torn Ukraine, has been the main topic of discussion during her time in Europe.
Despite Moscow’s belligerence during peace talks, Air Vice Marshal Turton said Kiev’s allies are committed to finding a way out.
“I feel sitting here at this table that no one is really surprised by Russia’s reaction,” she said.
“What we see is how Russia has always acted. When they want to distance themselves from decisions that could go against them, they create diversions and [for example] Larger drone attacks.
“This is kind of their modus operandi, and the Ukrainians are the ones who have seen it happening. They know what’s going on and even predicted it.”
Australia is not a NATO member, but has been a NATO partner since 1953.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin needed soldiers to step up his invasion of Ukraine, he turned to North Korea. (Pool: Alexander Nemenov, via Reuters)
“Waiting Union”
Air Vice Marshal Turton is also one of the Australian military representatives at talks held by the coalition. The coalition is a group of 35 mostly European countries that has pledged to support Ukraine’s security if a ceasefire is reached.
The Australian government has not yet said what it can or will be asked to provide the coalition.
The coalition has been criticized for being slow-moving and indecisive, with some commentators unflatteringly calling it the “coalition of waiting.”
Last week, even the Kremlin described it as a “coalition of the needy.”
U.S.-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have stalled, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accusing Russia of not having a serious desire to end the fighting.
“Until that happens, [the Coalition of the Willing] Activities are still being planned,” Air Vice Marshal Turton said.
“It’s about being prepared and having the appropriate forces on the ground in case something happens quickly.”
Mr De Turton has spent more than 30 years with the ADF. (Supplied)
With around 250 ADF personnel stationed across Europe, Air Vice Marshal Turton said Australia was seen as a “nation that punches way above our weight” in the region.
“So when we sit down at the NATO table, and increasingly at the EU table, we have spoken up and backed it up with action,” she said.
Air Vice Marshal Turton has focused on Australia’s contribution to NATO programs supporting Ukraine’s training, logistics and military programs.
Australia has contributed $1.7 billion to Ukraine’s defense and trained more than 3,000 Ukrainian troops since Russia launched a full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.
A key mission Air Vice Marshal Turton oversaw was the deployment of high-tech Australian Air Force (RAAF) surveillance aircraft to Ukraine’s neighbor Poland in 2025 as part of NATO’s efforts to monitor Russian activity.
It was the first time that ADF aircraft were operated outside of Poland, and the first time that they were under direct NATO command and control.
Dee Turton (left) attends a Coalition meeting as part of the Australian delegation. (Supplied)
RAF E-7A Wedgetails and their crews were deployed 45 times in three months, including on patrol when Russian MiG jets breached Estonian airspace and on the night Ukraine suffered its worst air raid since the start of the war.
In 2025, the ADF will also deliver 49 retired M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to help train troops in their use.
Not just a war in Europe
NATO chief Mark Rutte stressed that Australia’s involvement is essential because this is not just a European war.
“Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific cannot be considered as two separate arenas,” Rutte said in October.
“With North Korea and China supporting Russia’s war effort, and Iran supporting Russia’s war effort, we know that combined, if China takes any action against Taiwan, President Putin will probably be forced by Xi Jinping to oppose NATO.”
“So we have to be ready. We have to work together. We have to train together.”
This week, Australian Defense Secretary David Johnston and his counterparts from New Zealand, Japan and South Korea will meet with NATO military leaders in Brussels to discuss this interconnectedness and regional challenges.
Air Vice Marshal Turton has returned to Australia after a posting during one of Europe’s most critical moments in decades.
It was a world away from where she thought her career would go when she graduated from the Australian Defense Force Academy in 1991.
“I always think back to when I was 18, 19 and think, ‘If you saw me today, would you be proud of me?'” she said.
“And I’d like to think she’ll say, ‘Yeah, you did a great job, girl. I’m so proud of you.’ And of course, now as a mom, I think my kids would be proud of my work, too.”