For what it's worth ... Russia has never invaded Australia (although Fort Denison is still on high alert and ready for action). However, Australia HAS invaded Russia - in 1919 to be exact.

If you don't believe me, look it up.

And for another 'for what it's worth' - if Putin is Leader for Life, then he's certainly a popular Leader for Life, with an approval rating for many years in the 65% to 85% range. That's any Western leader's wet dream (given they average about 40% max - that's if they're lucky.

Halduell you may also find this link interesting. Putin does not need gunboat diplomacy. Lots of people like Paul Craig Roberts and the CEC are saying that our banks are insolvent. Here is evidence for confiscation of bank deposits.http://cecaust.com.au/bail-in/

Putin says get your money out of Western Banks.
http://worldtruth.tv/russian-leader-warns-get-all-money-out-of-western-banks-now/

Pete, I said tested rockets not built!
However, given our scientists and skilled technicians probably assembled them here, duplicating the now dated science is well within our technical expertise.
As is building acrylic mini subs that are powered by a two decade old venturi system, that enables them to virtually fly through the water; and all but invisible to current countermeasures.
We also have the technical ability to build underwater capable rockets
And if you can eyeball where they're going, far easier to aim and adjust for effect!
And we know how to make fusion bombs.
The difficult part is containing and controlling the reaction.
Something the size of a large grapefruit carried by a single rocket, will simply vaporize any ship, currently plying any ocean! Even one with a five foot thick hull!
Nuclear subs are as large as any WW11 aircraft carrier, with each one able to carry a hundred mini subs!
As I said, we know plenty, but are doing little?
We lead the world in mass produced molded carbon fibre, and in fact, we are making the wing tips for the dream-liner.
It's just not a huge technical step to go from wing tips to whole planes?
A microscopically thin layer of copper coating, and hey presto, stealth bomber/fighter/mid air tanker!
And a fighter bomber just doesn't need to be that fast, even super silent subsonic will do, if it can fly from here to London/Moscow/Beijing and back, undetected and able to delver a bellyful of smart bombs/two dozen air to air/ground missiles!
As I said earlier, we need to up our defense spending to a least 5% of the GNP, and match that with defense specific R+D!
As always, the best form of defense is attack!
Sudden, sharp and surgical, it would only need to be done once; if ever at all!
Rhrosty.

And if any air campaign was matched by an equally rapid but perfectly timed naval attack, the fight would be over before it started.
Think, just three nuclear powered subs, could conceivably use southern or northern polar ice as cover, to approach from and deliver their cargo of (300)even less detectable mini subs, each one armed with say six fusion bomb tipped rockets, that can attack from everywhere under or over the water, and simultaneously!
Lets be practical; if we were strong enough, we'd never ever be attacked or threatened by any nation or neighbor?
Which in turn would mean, we'd never have to fight!
As a very wise man once said, use a velvet glove, but carry a big stick!
And we can create that big stick right here and mucho plenty jobs, along with mucho plenty more tax payers; and just by sticking with what we know.
We might have to buy our nuclear subs off the shelf; or better, build them here using overseas sourced technicians and helium cooled nuclear pebble bed reactors?
Which would be my first choice, given they're hardly likely to run out of fuel or defensive speed capability, halfway through any military action or engagement! Ditto home defense related, underground rapid rail!
And all of the aforementioned affordable, if we just make avoiding a fair share of tax impossible; as would be the case if we converted to a single stand alone, unavoidable but inherently fair, expenditure tax!
And that would also mean, all those currently carrying the entire tax burden, would have to carry considerably less of it!
Even so, I think the extra one hundred billion per on offer, would buy plenty of military R+D, plus plenty of military hardware, along with too good to refuse, military pay packets; or indeed, the very professionalism that buys!
Rhrosty.

Hi Rhrosty

Imagination is a good thing.

Yes so much is possible for Australia in the submarine realm if the Abbott government was prepared to take risks.

A nuclear propelled Virginia or more economical http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Barracuda-class_submarine may become a necessity for Australia - soon after we invest in conventional subs. We can't overly rely on the US as one day it may not be able handle a combination of resurgent Russian and rising Chinese nuclear navies. India (also in our region) is also developing nuclear powered and armed subs and may not always be friendly.

Rocket powered super-cavitating torpedos are already a Russian specialty with other countries also developing them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supercavitating_torpedoes .

Launching 100 sub-glider Autonomous Underwater Vehicles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_glider is also possible. They are useful as reconnaisance drones and as slow moving torpedo-mines.
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Hi Killarney

I believe you. Australians with British Army units did get involved in the post 1917 Russian Civil War on the side of the mainly-Tsarist "White" Russians.

Earlier in the 1850s some Australians would have fought in the British Army against the Russians in the Crimean War.

Yes Putin is undoubtedly popular with most Russians - who are prepared to trade political opposition rights for the comfort zone of authoritarian rule.

As I said on the string (Friday, 21 November 2014 4:12:17 PM):

"The Russian people oddly seem to cherish Leaders for Life to order Russia around."

Regards

Pete

To my mind this discussion highlights a couple of basic facts.
There WILL be another world war, that's a historical inevitability.
Oz cannot defend itself.
We simply do NOT any longer have the manufacturing base to even support our existing forces, let alone arm or increase them.
We need to rebuild our manufacturing base just to ensure our own survival as a free nation.
Building our own defense capabilities and industry would serve us well on many levels in many areas
Doing so would have massive spin-off benefits in employment and wealth creation.
It is only the idiotic blindness and ethical/moral corruption of the Two Party system that has lead us to this disastrous state of affairs.
WE NEED to stop pandering to the commercial interests of the multinationals, they won't help us when the war begins.
We NEED our own fuel industry, our foreign supplies are far too easily cut off far beyond our range or abilities to defend them.