Australia is getting tooled up..

[madmark]

It appears our friends over the ditch have reappraised the threat from an increasingly capable and aggresive China and are upping their defence capabilities in response. Meanwhile in NZ..

www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/china-the-unspoken-threat-at-centre-of-new-defence-strategy-20200630-p557qg.html

[tfly]

I’m saying nowt!

[madmac]

Jul 1, 2020 23:54:38 GMT 12 tfly said:

That's a very optimistic take on it. Sold out looks more like correct term.

[vultee43]

Probably too little to late on this side of the ditch. We have known about this threat for many, many years and we know our U.S.allies won't gallop in to help until they can see a financial return on the investment. Our submarines and frigates are still a decade or more away and we equip our Air Force with the F35 Flop, so it doesn't auger well for our defence capabilities

However, whilst having a 'strong' and outspoken leader committing to a large spending spree may be a good thing, you must be careful how much you poke the bear. Bombastic chest beating statements can have a negative effect and I hope this won't put Australia (and the wider region) with our backs to the wall. We have enough to contend with at the moment without the threat of conflict.