Imagine

Imagine.

Regarding Australia’s arms build-up as defined in the Defence White Paper.
< http://www.defence.gov.au/whitepaper/docs/defence_white_paper_2009.pdf >

It has been stated that in the 2 weeks before John Howard left office, that he signed off on 1 trillion dollars worth of new air-force equipment and committed another 1 trillion dollars to the navy and army equipment. This deftly ensured that the following government/s could not balance the books.

Labor too seems brazenly enthusiastic to continue to overspend on a paranoid endeavour to squash single handedly an imaginary foe. It must be kept in mind that in the 67 years since WW11 Australia has never been under direct threat.

DFP quote, “The decade brought the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States and subsequent events in London, Madrid, Bali, Jakarta and more recently, Mumbai.”
Comment: Is a military hardware build-up going to protect us from that kind of terrorism? The answer is, it will not, it cannot, and it’s illogical to expect it to. In some cases a weapons build up will encourage terrorism as the only viable way to circumvent a larger better equipped Australian military.

Quote “The key issue is to have a solid foundation upon which to build, adapt and take advantage of opportunities”.
Comment; What to kill and bully? We not already have a solid foundation, but we have the walls, windows and roof extension. To spend 2 trillion dollars on just new superfluous weaponry is to invite a neighbourhood brawl.

Quote “Australia's most basic strategic interest remains the defence of Australia against direct armed attack. This includes armed attacks by other states and by non-state actors with the capacity to employ strategic capabilities, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD).”
Comment; A 2 trillion dollar weapons build-up cannot protect us from a crazed backpacker with a bomb derived from uranium dug up in Australia. Furthermore a state based attack by even a minor global force leaves us dead no mater what.

Quote “We need to review periodically and rigorously whether the mix and scale of our capabilities are appropriate to the emerging challenges in our strategic outlook.”
Comment; I say we need to change our strategic outlook. Particularly if it is thought we need to create an arms race.

Suggested beneficial endeavours that do not include arms build up while increasing Australia’s standing internationally:

1. Cancel contracts on all new military hardware and pay the cancellation fees honourably.
2. Retrain the military to become medical professionals, and civil reconstruction personnel and offer our services to any conflict as the healers, not the killers.
3. Saving lives will reward us, not ending them.

No military power will threaten us as we will have saved numerous of their soldiers in the past, are saving them in the present and will save them in the future if they leave us to pursue our new conflict strategy of Non-aggression and healing.

Change the flag to bear a red cross prominently. Everybody avoids killing the medics.

We cannot ethically use old methodologies of armed aggression to improve the lives of our citizens. Rather a determined unwinding of disadvantageous archaic domineering ideas (the military), coupled with intelligent relationship building skills (the diplomatic core), must propel us into a better world.

Since we already have a military currently capable of fulfilling all of the basic requirements outlined in the white paper, it doesn’t make any sense to devote 2 trillion dollars to enhanced weaponry and delivery systems. Advanced weapons of any kind are typically superseded before anybody takes delivery.

In a period of time when the only armed use of the military has been on foreign soil, in acts of aggression against a foe with no prior stated animosity towards Australia, we prepare for war.

Better usage of the 2 trillion dollars for arms build-up against an un-named adversary:

1. The under funding of geothermal power plants retards the replacement of coal with clean reliable base load power. With 2 trillion dollars worth of well hole drilling rigs we could go 100% green power in 5 to 8 years. Possibly we could export surplus electricity overseas via large ship mounted Gyro Batteries. This we can do while maintaining our current defence capabilities, reducing energy bills by 95% + to business industry and individuals. Additionally paying almost nothing for energy makes our goods enormously competitive overseas, thereby increasing margins enough to increase both profits and wages.
2. Spend the money on fostering goodwill between potential adversaries and us.
3. Assist and invest in Australian business that promote sustainability not death and dismemberment.
4. Provide training to defence personnel to become predominately a force of unarmed medical professionals assisting both sides. This enables Australia’s contribution to armed conflicts to be civilised, and universally well regarded. Under this strategy we can maintain existing alliances while forging new ones. Conceivably, by providing medical services to everybody in times of conflict, we will be able to attract the lion’s share of medical research and development dollars in seasons of peace.
5. Pay off the national debit while providing better government services and reducing tax.
6. Figure out an economic system that works well with shrinking consumption that does not include increasing the capacity to kill.

Signed:
Dave
A lone survivor in a sea of animosity.