Clones and puppets all: Or, yes Minister!
Or, more evidence of a three ring Circus.
Just another set upwards of the radar. What opportunist will walk under this setting?
Maybe another tranvestite leader...great, (and nationally embarrassing)!

Gary
Would gender be a relevant factor?

No , but Politics would be , both within the three Ministers and also from the Writer.

Yes and absolutely appalling as is any gender bias.

One recalls the Iron Lady who wouldn't desert the falklands, but threw the kitchen sink at the defence of a british protectorate!

On the grounds of a referendum that showed a huge majority wanted to remain british, speak English and continue long established Westminster traditions only ever threatened by the possibility of oil?

This was one Lady with bigger cajones than Churchill? What I'm saying, Gender shouldn't ever qualify or disqualify!

I recall a scene caught on CCTV recently, where a mugger chose a petite Lady as his target for a bag snatch, only to find even as he beat a retreat, the Lady caught up with him, kicked his lights out and retrieved her property.

That said, we do need a grownup in charge and one is more than familiar with the aspects of defence! And some of the asinine trillion dollar aspirations of the sabre rattlers manning the barricades against all comers!

This adult will at least be cognisant of the fact that our energy security and our national security are one and the same!

And that the next war is likely to be fought by remotely controlled or autonomous machines?

One recalls the mindless heroism of the Poles at the onset of WW11, using cavalry charges replete with drawn sabres, against tiger tanks!
And from a self defense perspective, that's is where we are, relatively speaking?
Alan B.

The appointment of the dill to defence minister indicates Turnbull's lack of concern for the defence of Australia. The woman is an insult to the post.

An excellent return to form by OLO's dashing Defence Commentator and stalwart, doubly draggled, hippie.

Christopher Pyne is indubitably senior by my estimation. Pyne has been a Cabinet Minister for years. This is at a time Marise Payne was merely a backbench Senator, reliant on a leg up from tricky Turnbull.

As the alignment of the mooning Ministers would have it.

The ministerial functions have appeared on the Defence Ministers (Triumvirate *) Homepage http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/ in the last hours. Which are:

Minister PAYNE (pronounced "PAIN") (Defence) is responsible for:
Strategic policy
ADF Operations
International Engagement
Budget
Defence White Paper implementation
Force Structure
Development of capability requirements
Capability/cost tradeoff during capability life cycle
Intelligence and Security
ICT (what is ICT? Insipid Cyber Technology?)
Science and Technology policy and support to operations

Minister PYNE (Defence Industry) responsible for:
Delivery of capability acquisition and sustainment projects
Development of Australian industry involvement during capability life cycle
Deliver Defence Industry agenda
Support and develop Australian Defence Industry
Encourage Australian Defence Industry involvement in global supply chains
Implementation of Naval Shipbuilding Plan
Centre for Defence Innovation
Defence Innovation Hub
Science and Technology engagement with Australian industry
Next Generation Technology Fund

Minister TEHAN (Veteran’s Affairs and Defence Personnel) responsible for:
Estate
Garrison and Personnel support
Estate and Equipment disposals
Military justice
Honours and Awards
ADF Cadets
Reserves
Parliamentary exchange program

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumvirate

Poida

God help us should we ever be dragged into another war. With those three paralytic pollies 'in (gulp) charge', what chance would we have if we were attacked by anyone more robust and adept then the local branch of the Country Women's Association? As a Veteran myself, I feel immensely sorry for our 'unrequited' armed service personnel, with these three Muppet's obstructing, constraining and incapacitating our Defence Force through their political ineptitude. While our Military is trying to prosecute any sort of defence of our Nation. The only good thing, our Armed Services will always do their best, in spite of these political idiots who simply get in the way. God bless 'em, is all that can be said?

I think it shows good sense to give Payne and Tehan the support of a very experienced Minister in Pyne. Would it be better to let them simply bumble along trying to manage the machinations of a very well oiled military bureaucracy alone?

The paper assumes that this will be chaotic, but I'm not sure that the case has been properly made.

One of the things that has become blindingly obvious in recent years is that many of our most important State functional units, at Federal and State level, have become very astute managers of public and political views. Police media units are well funded and staffed and very active in promoting Police; DHS plays the media game masterfully;health and education departments are often leading public debate with a somewhat uncritical media running to catch up.

Backgrounding and leaking and opinionating are standard practice and can leave politicians stranded on suddenly shaky ground.

If an experienced Minister is available and informed about issues, good counsel is always at hand. Give them a chance to bed things down before rushing to judgement. The division of responsibilities looks reasonable to me. Pyne has political as well as Ministerial responsibilities, so it makes sense to give him a possibly less demanding functional role.

Thanks to Gary Brown for this important piece - and "good get" for OLO. I might question the coyness of "...to deploy physical capabilities.." for eg "to apply deadly force for maximum effect..". National Security is under-valued - even when it gets maximum informed consideration. Under 'Mal' [etymology=bad] and his Company of Sad Clowns, we're sitting ducks.
[BTW, O Sung Wu, I wouldn't provoke the redoubtable CWA for all the tea in China - which shows why I'm not a soldier].

O sung wu,

I think the CWA would do a much better job.

Hi there GERRY of MENTONE and TTBN...

I have nothing but the highest regard for those wonderful ladies of our august CWA. And to even equate them among any politician is surely an anathema to any civilised culture, and for that I humbly apologise unreservedly ! Whenever certain politicians are mentioned, I immediately have this sense of a 'foul stench' of utter incompetency, until I obliterate their names right out of my mind.

All the years I did as a copper, my one and only wish was to see a special squad raised, and tasked uniquely with the interdiction and subsequent prosecution of ALL political crime(s); malfeasance or misfeasance...all of it, without fear or favor.

Gotta give it to you o sung wu, your on the mark with your last sentiment.
Politicians lead the charge with the "evolution of morality". It's why (I believe), the corruption of Western Democracies, is dragging society downwards. Morality has been re defined by politicians in high places.
Any study of the military exemplifies this point. Them and us: the last bastion of the old morality.
As an example, there was a time not so long ago, when homosexuality was treated as misconduct in the military. The bar of morality was lowered by politicians, resulting in the embarrassment called the ADF we now witness. What a sick joke!

Diver: Since when has God given gender bias been the subject of morality? Is the creator who designed us and others, along with all instinctive reflex behavior, therefore immoral?

And if you didn't know and none interfered with your and your rights? Would they still be immoral?

Or is their great sin defined as having the unmitigated temerity to be born Gay or maybe left handed or spastic, autistic or different?

All God's children, whether you agree or disagree with the maker's reasons/design rules or aberrations! None of any of the above get to chose! And if they actually could?

Given the sort of crap Gays have to tolerate, particularly from the willfully ignorant, who doggedly and determinedly refuse to ever look objectively at the irrefutable countervailing evidence!

Just the interminable broken record rethoric that only serves the preferred conformation bias! And objectively, the only element of choice on display in this endless saga! Titled, Endless willful blind (flat earth) stone age ignorance!

There's no Gay germ and it's not transferable via contact or as incalculated behavior! None would ever chose to be Gay, given what they're asked to tolerate!

And given what they are asked to tolerate as part and parcel of their daily existence! Absolutely unimaginable that there's one grain of one gram of choice actually ever involved or on offer!

The dice are thrown (by the hand of God) and each of us only ever gets to play the hand we're dealt! No ifs, buts or maybes!

Got a problem with that? Take it up with your God, whomsoever you believe him/her/it to be!? Jawohl mein Herr?

Is a male cadet who spikes another cadets drink and then having rendered her helpless proceeds to repeatedly violate her body, both vaginally and anually, immoral, or just behaving as a normal hetrosexual male?

And is rape as an act of war, moral? Or to the victor goes the spoils?
Alan B.

AlanB
I can see you struggle with this subject Alan. I have not the slightest care or concern for homosexuals and their problems. The problem with homosexuals is, they are the problem!
Homosexuals have set themselves up as a political force to be reckoned with, therefore they are a legitimate target!

Hi there DIVER DAN...

Your comments apropos homosexuals are pretty right. Many problems encountered by homosexuals are simply a manifestation of their divergent lifestyles. Some years ago I had a chat with this poor bugger at St Vincent's A & E where he was taken, after receiving a decent kicking. Seems he was a real novice at picking up like minded blokes in Sydney. So he took himself to a notorious locale called 'the wall' just across the road from St V's. hospital. It was there he copped a real flogging from a group of 'heroic' poofter basher's.

It emerged despite all the warnings, being so very lonely for appropriate male company, and being new to Sydney, he blindly decided to risk it all and explore the 'menu' as it were for himself. The problem being, 'the wall' is an area for young boys (12 - 17 years) to prostitute themselves for 'foul' paedophiles. And this bloke had ill-advisedly blundered into an area that was unofficially taboo, other than for young boys and their 'maggot' clientele.

Who's fault was it really? The victim in some respects, not necessarily the perpetrator's. They're simply marauding petty criminals stalking parks and public places at night, looking for anything or anybody that can make them a score.

Don't get me wrong, both my partner and I felt quite sorry for the bloke, still like so many similar homosexual males, they do tend to attract trouble, simply as a consequence of their behaviour, and their (apparent) inability to manage and/or recognise risk.

I'm not the one struggling with this subject, Diver and given those persecuting this minority for being born gay! What other choice was there but become political as you call standing up for your basic human rights!

Even so, given nobody is interfering with your rights or trying to get something you don't have? What and who gave you the right to make them some kind of target?

One remembers a time when central command decided we needed a few more brown faces in the ranks, and so, an exchange program was initiated. And given a voluntary program, we soon had a few blokes from a nearby Asian country in a nearby barracks.

A couple of them looked like they couldn't stay stood in a strong breeze and looked effeminate.

Didn't bother me, given they had nothing to do with me apart from attending a few lectures, where they were introduced.

Time went by and then they were in my RAP beaten with an inch of their lives, and all their valuables and bling stolen!

Now, I was once like you, believing these folk chose their sexuality and quite verbose in expressing that opinion, only to find incontrovertible evidence that I was wrong, as were the gutless cowards who targeted those poor buggers for being born different!

As you seem to!?

Moreover, nobody was under any obligation to attend the offered insignation, where they were raped then beaten black and blue! And attended (carried in on stretchers) the clinic I was manning, where nothing could be learned about how they became victims from their semi comatose bodies!

Later a couple of drunken soldiers boosted to a few mates how they accepted the invitation then used the opportunity to bash these unfortunates within an inch of their lives!

These men had mothers fathers and family, like you do? And had done nothing more than offer money for white flesh? None of which was right or justified!

Neither is, simply denying our rights to others on the patently puerile grounds that they are a minority and we can!
Alan B.

Off topic:

Will Soldiers be justified in demanding Parades to celebrate their Same Sex Marriages?

______________________________________________________________

On topic:

The potential for overlap and confusion between the Three Ministers' functions is interesting. Given http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/ :

Minister PAYNE (of Defence) is responsible for:
Strategic policy
ADF Operations
International Engagement
Budget
Defence White Paper implementation
Force Structure
Development of capability requirements
Capability/cost tradeoff during capability life cycle
Intelligence and Security
ICT (what is ICT? Insipid Cyber Technology?)
Science and Technology policy and support to operations

Minister PYNE (of Defence Industry) responsible for:
Delivery of capability acquisition and sustainment projects
Development of Australian industry involvement during capability life cycle
Deliver Defence Industry agenda
Support and develop Australian Defence Industry
Encourage Australian Defence Industry involvement in global supply chains
Implementation of Naval Shipbuilding Plan
Centre for Defence Innovation
Defence Innovation Hub
Science and Technology engagement with Australian industry
Next Generation Technology Fund

Minister TEHAN (of Veteran’s Affairs and Defence Personnel) responsible for:
Estate
Garrison and Personnel support
Estate and Equipment disposals
Military justice
Honours and Awards
ADF Cadets
Reserves
Parliamentary exchange program, and
All the Veteran’s Affairs functions