Defence strategy and capability is insurance against potential actions of an uncertain enemy. The Australian psyche wallowed in a siege mentality; apparently many have lusted after us. Newspapers heralded “The Russians Are Coming”. They have been quite tardy.
Brian Martin challenges us (‘Submarine Sideshow: Does Australia even need a military?’, Pearls & Irritations, November 21, 2021) to consider doing without this insurance policy. Given remote chances of actually needing to repel attack, we could try self-insuring.
The ‘chicken coup’ defence posture tells us, while we spend so much on building walls around a diminished lifestyle, we miss opportunities to improve what’s inside the chicken coup.
Have we done our due diligence as to where threats will come from and in what form they will arrive? The risk is minimal as Martin suggests. Is it not likely that a much more powerful nation than our own would come to our aid if armed conflict occurred? Let’s self-insure and spend the money on adding value instead.
Negate the pugilistic combat mentality that delivers human rights violations and costs squillions. Self-insure.
Awesomely Astute 