Defending the Open North By James Reed
Better late than never, I say, but not enough by any measure; the Labor government of Australia is moving to fund upgrades to military bases across the north of Australia, to deal with the emerging threat. The threat, is, of course, communist China. Upgrades are good idea, but what is not good is that this comes at the price of cancelling other programs, presumably military. Any half-decent country would put defence before other things, such as woke concerns like the voice referendum, multiculturalism and mass migration, which is more of a security threat now, than the virtue the populate or perish ideology pushed. Australia should have got nuclear missiles in the 1950s when the British engaged in nuclear tests here, but instead got mass replacement migration. Now we have the Strategic Review proposing spending billions of dollars on Abrams tanks and 400 infantry fighting vehicles, which communist Chinese drones and hypersonic will easily take out. It is all just going through the motions before we are defeated and destroyed, under the present ideology. Unless, the Australian people, wake in fright and do something.
“The Labor government has pledged $3.8 billion (US$2.5 billion) for upgrades to military bases across Australia’s north as part of a steady build-up to deal with potential conflict in the region.
The announcement follows an earlier pledge in 2021 to upgrade four military training facilities in the Northern Territory.
According to Defence Minister Richard Marles, the new funding push will include $2 billion towards upgrading runways, fuel storage, accommodation, and security at air bases at RAAF Base Learmonth in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, as well as in the Northern Territory and northern Queensland.
Another $1 billion to upgrade major training areas at the Robertson Barracks in Darwin and the Lavarack Barracks in Townsville in northern Queensland.
While the naval bases HMAS Coonawarra, HMAS Cairns, and the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications station will receive $600 million. Another $200 million will go towards accelerating other projects in the north.
The federal government says it was able to free up funds for these upgrades after cancelling other programs.
Part of the Defence Strategic Review
The pledge forms part of the Albanese government’s commitment to implement recommendations from the recently handed down Defence Strategic Review.
“As the Defence Strategic Review rightly observes, our northern bases are a huge asset and critical to Australia’s ability to project,” said Defence Minister Richard Marles in a statement.
“Our immediate investment in these bases will ensure our defence force is able to operate from them effectively.”
The Defence Strategic Review handed down on April 24 confirmed the ongoing evolution of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) from a “balanced” land-based fighting force used to fighting in the Middle East to one more specialised to deal with potential conflict in the immediate region.
In recent years, the build-up of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea has forced military planners to look at how to better operate in maritime environments comprised largely of islands.
“Many commentators have called for the ADF to be structured along the same lines as the U.S. Marine Corps, specifically a Marine Expeditionary Force. Therefore, spending billions of dollars on Abrams tanks and 400 infantry fighting vehicles does not make sense,” said Lincoln Parker, chair of the Liberal Party’s Defence and National Security Branch, in an earlier interview with The Epoch Times.
The Strategic Review has called for the reduction of Australia’s infantry vehicle program (LAND 400 Phase 3) from 450 to 129, as well as the cancellation of 30 new howitzer artillery systems. The slated acquisition of 160 new M1A1 Abrams tanks will continue, however.”
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