It is doubtful AUKUS will ever be anything but a theory: a talking point to fool (some of) us into thinking that our politicians are doing something about our defence.

I find it bizarre that AUKUS and nuclear submarines are the big deal of our offence when, even if it turns out to be true, it is at least a decade down the track, when you-know-who could wipe us out tomorrow.

The entire political class, not just China’s mate, Albanese Labor, don't have a clue about defence, and don't want to know. They are whistling in the dark to keep the bogeyman away.

They are relying almost entirely on the U.S to defend us. That's the most divided, left-wing U.S ever, by the way.

“Militatarisation” and Australia just don't go together; ‘rooted’ and Australia do.

It's hard to believe anything politicians say these days, but Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has indicated a difference between the Coalition and Albanese Labor by saying that, if elected, it would build up Australia's “meagre military stocks” by rebuilding Australia's defence industry, on top of off the shelf purchases, by 2026.

Labor has shown that it is hopeless on defence - and everything else - every time Australians vote for them to punish the Coalition.

We really must give the Coalition, and ourselves, another chance at the next election. It is the only option against increasingly hard-Left Labor.

Minor parties are all very well; but they are best suited to the Senate. None of them will ever have much effect elsewhere in our system.

Common sense, not ideology, tells us that Labor has to go at the next election. We have to pick the lesser of the two evils.

Recruitment in AU is in a hole. For the last 2 years the drive has been on and we have lost 250 personnel. I think it will come to compulsory national service. We were having trouble with manning subs years ago. Long before Albo was elected. The generation of military age are reluctant to leave home or not interested.
May be the age needs to be raised 18- 25. Incentive by rewards of money are not working. Overseas recruitment has been a fizzer. Kids need to be taught of importance of national security. It’s far to easy to say a change of govt; will fix it. Scomo had 9 years and fixed nothing.

Recruitment is a problem. It could be the way that Australian governments - including 'ScoMo' - have treated members of the ADF and continue to do so. Were I a young person, I wouldn't be interested in fighting for the rubbish politicians and many of the people in Australia.

So, first fix the politicians, and stop importing alien cultures.

It has been suggested that foreign troops be recruited. Governments seem to prefer foreigners to their own people. Nothing new. Read Aristotle.

But, that's a bad idea. If a government would stoop to such a thing, they could use the the foreigners, who have nothing in common with the locals, against the locals.

Life these days is a lot more serious and scary than people more interested in Olympic Games than they are in reality think.

The Australian Defence Force is thousands of people below strength as it struggles to employ and retain staff. There was a shortage of more than 4300 people - almost seven per cent - as of January 1, Chief of the ADF Angus Campbell told a parliamentary hearing

Australian Defence Force to fast-track transfers for US troops

Stars and Stripes
https://www.stripes.com › theaters › asia_pacific › austr..
26 June 2024 — The Overseas Lateral Recruitment Scheme allows the force to fill capability shortfalls by recruiting skilled military overseas applicants ..

doog, ttbn...Uncle Angus was the root of the ADF's mass exodus of soldiers, sailors & aircrew who left and are still leaving because of his policies and directives over his much hated tenure.

Successive ALP & LNP governments let ADF capabilities slide into a "nothingness" both in personnel and materiel - to the point today we could not even sustain an effective 24 hr defence in an all out offensive on our soil from the likes of Kopassus or the PLA Navy amphibious forces.

41 years ago, (when posted to a unit based in Perth), we "comrades in arms" were asked to put forward possible scenarios for an invasion of the north west - an area from Broome to Carnarvon by, the Musorians/Orangelanders. This was in the lead up to Kangaroo '83.

20 of the most plausible scenarios were chosen by command and extrapolated upon. In the final analysis, the Australian Army (ODF) and Reserves could have mounted an effective defence for about 72 hours...from there it would be essentially a guerrilla war on our own soil...with around 26,000 regular troops at the time.

41 years later, with an estimated 35,000 (regular and reserve troops) - and numbers again falling fast, I despair for this old Land of Oz should I again sit down with those same comrades in arms and extrapolate even a half baked invasion by the PLAN.

AUKUS, even if it were effective today, is a diaphanous placebo with its sole purpose to deceive an extremely vulnerable population into believing we have a chance if ever the Dragon should flex its tail in our region.

Xi is big on "anniversaries" and 2028 is the 100th anniversary of Mao & Chiang Kai Chek's stoush. Stay tuned.