Are we truly capable of defending our nation?
IHATE to break it to you but the vast majority of us are living in complete denial. Myself included, to a degree. If we weren’t, we’d be picketing Parliament House, building bunkers or looking into human survival rates in the Antarctic. Look around you.
Not here at home but overseas, just this week alone.
Russia’s continued threats to go nuclear, North and South Korea launching missiles in each other’s direction, Saudi Arabia putting its and the US forces on high alert over the threat of an imminent attack by Iran and China’s ongoing promise to reunify with Taiwan by force — sooner rather than later.
It’s okay, though, because our western allies are solid and reliable pillars of strength, aren’t they? Seen the political situation in the UK recently? Don’t get me started on President Joe Biden. The whole world is, to put it bluntly, a basket case.
This week we watched live television for hours cover the escape of five lions in Sydney.
We started to cover the story on radio too — it was everywhere. We all got a little anxious. Those in the area more so, understandably.
The thought of what a lion might do to an innocent bystander stopped the country. We were glued.
Some of us even googled what to do if approached by a lion — don’t run and wave your arms apparently, in case you care. It got me thinking. Why does an event like that get us all worked up but what’s happening around the world doesn’t?
Why do five escaped lions get us looking into a frenzy of survival tips and live tracking, yet the threat of war in our region — nuclear bombs, the end of life as we know it and a military incapable of defending us against it — doesn’t? I don’t want us all to start living in fear, otherwise what’s the point in trying to preserve our way of life, but what I do want is for us to start taking this seriously.
Demanding those we charge with the task of keeping us safe do more. I understand absolutely the nature of the military and the political complexities of striking the balance between informing the public what’s being done , with protecting part of our arsenal and security arrangements that must remain confidential.
I get it. But right now it feels like our focus isn’t where it needs to be.
Retired Major-General and Senator Jim Molan (also my dad) says this country’s greatest enemy is complacency.
“The ADF has never been better for the wars it has fought over the past 80 years but not for the current strategic environment. Our defence force is a one-shot force — likely to last only a few days in any serious fight,’’ he said. “It lacks lethality, sustainability and mass.’’
I asked former Governor-General and head of the defence force, Sir Peter Cosgrove, how strong our defence force is right now. He’d know better than most and his answer gives no reassurance whatsoever.
“In the hearts and minds of our people, we are unbeatable. We have pound for pound in our army, our navy and our airforce the most wonderful people but we’ve got to equip them with the modern tools of war otherwise it would be unfair and irresponsible of this nation that we consider we put them in harm’s way without the necessary tools,” he said.
He acknowledges we might not have a choice.
The new government announced the Defence Strategic Review this year, with results to be released in March 2023. It’s too narrow. The brief focuses on the defence force and defence industry and not how the whole country will be impacted by war.
What’s needed, and desperately soon, is a plan that delves into every aspect of Australian life.
Dad predicts: “When the DSR is released the government will either put an unrealistic cap on defence spending or will have no idea where it is going to get the money to pay for what it needs.”
The Budget boasted $1 billion to drive defence force recruitment. Really important and it’s crucial we look ahead. But what about now?
What about the US Admiral who says China might invade Taiwan before the end of this year. Not fear mongering but an assessment based on what would be access to a scarily large amount of intelligence.
The US Secretary of State reiterated the sentiment too.
Elbridge Colby, the man who led the development of America’s National Security Strategy just a few years ago, is deeply concerned, particularly when it comes to China and our region.
“The danger of China is not just something that exists cordoned off in some solely professional or abstract sphere, as it seemed to for many years. More and more I fear it will have very direct implications for all of our lives in a very direct way, in our everyday reality,’’ he said.
So my question is: what are we doing right now? Not in 10 or 20 years but now, as a country, to be in the best possible position to stand up and defend our way of life? In fact, more serious than that, our, and our children’s, precious lives.