Lie 2.

Quote:


That is not true we are seen as a nation surrounded by a moat.  One that even little boats from Indonesia or SriLanka can breech.  One that spends less on defence than many other countries.  One with relatively small numbers of personnel, which has decreased since the1990’s.

We all know we have no weapons of mass destruction.  So just how robust is our national security?  The ADF is capable of providing only relatively small, 'special' forces for high intensity warfare. It’s  logistic capabilities are insufficient to independently supply such forces deployed in areas distant from Australia. As a result, the ADF can only contribute forces to high intensity warfare outside of Australia's region when larger coalition partners provide logistical support. That is we cannot sustain our forces in large scale deployments in foreign countries or from outside aggressors on our own.  How can this be described as a “robust” national security?  If Labor keep taking the sword to defence spending and delaying replacement equipment etc how can we maintain or improve what we have.  Remember Labor are not averse to cutting the defence budget.

We are capable of undertaking peacekeeping operations around the world. The Navy's frigates and transport ships, the Army's light infantry battalions and the RAAF's transport aircraft are well-suited to peacekeeping.  As opposed to “robust” national security. 

We have a large unprotected coastline and our small population and defence numbers cannot defend it “robustly”.  Some say that during WWII this fact was uppermost in the government’s mind and the mythical “Brisbane Line” was bandied about as an acceptable tactic.  Our current ADF has the capability to undertake only peacekeeping and low-intensity warfare operations independently in Australia's region.  Think East Timor and the Solomon Islands.  We could even aid our Pacific neighbours in their defence.  But defending the Island Continent of Australia is another question altogether.  ANZUS is our security blanket, not the robustness of our defence forces.

Did not Obama at one stage call into question our on the ground contribution in Afghanistan?  Surely if we were looked upon “as a nation underpinned by a robust national security”…  then our ally and the leader of the free world would not be asking us for a greater effort and chiding us for not supplying it.  Personally considering our population and the size of our defence forces I think we were actually pulling our weight.  But it seems that even our allies do not agree with Kevin.

I’m hoping I don’t need to mention; the Collins Class, the Abrahams, the F111s, etc, etc, etc…  I’m hoping you all realize the situations with these purchases and in some cases, their replacements.

http://www.defence.gov.au/
http://www.globalfirepower.com/
http://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=A...

Grendel wrote on Jul 12^th, 2013 at 12:49pm:

Refrain from insults. If you can't defend your opinion then don't reply.

Quote:


Just posting the truth alevine I suppose it it ok to lie and ridicule others eh, like schmitty did...but flames cannot be returned.

My opinion of you keeps going down.

Oh and alevine even I thought you could work out the lie has been highlighted 

sir prince duke alevine wrote on Jul 12^th, 2013 at 12:57pm:


puhlease don't waste my time.
I'm arguing the facts, it is you lot playing the man and attacking with ad hom and failing to refute.
Ignoring the lie shows you to be incredibly disingenuous.

Dsmithy70 wrote on Jul 12^th, 2013 at 1:02pm:


not really...  a lie is not a truth
a truth is a fact.

Grendel wrote on Jul 12^th, 2013 at 1:03pm:


Exactly. So how can you place a truth on an opinion?

Grendel wrote on Jul 12^th, 2013 at 12:58pm:



No your arguing that in your opinion we do not have a robust National Security.

You may well have a point, its been well know since the end of WWII Australia could not defend itself against invasion of a larger force & we have always counted on 1st the British & now the Americans will come to our aid.
We made the down payment for that with blood by supporting every British & every American armed incursion into foreign lands, from the Boer War right up to Afghanistan.

However where you come unstuck is attributing this to Rudd only, every PM has declared we have a "Robust National Security" but in the spirit of the game I give it to you, its a LONG bow but yes Australia cannot defend itself alone.