We certainly cannot rely on a Biden US for anything. It is not a given that we can rely on our own government. And here we are: can't even have nuclear power, let alone nuclear weapons.

Australia is in big, big trouble. China knows this. The halfwits in Canberra do not.

There is no credible threat to Australia that nuclear weapons would be of any use defending against. But developing nuclear weapons would result in other nations viewing us as a threat and reacting accordingly.

The world needs to get rid of all nuclear weapons which can destroy life on our one and only planet. Australia definitely does not need nuclear weapons. Australia needs to free itself from the clutches of the deep state and the military industrial complex which profits from war, human misery, hatred between nations and death.

Australia is in a similar position with the growing threat from China, to that of the Israelis during the Yom Kippur War 1973.

The simultaneous occurrence of an unreliable US Ali and an urgent need for nuclear weapons to balance the odds against it.

Although not commonly admitted, Israel was able to produce at short notice, small atomic weapons which remained unused but were strategically positioned for use with no delivery system.

We are in a much worse position, since we are actually out gunned by the Chinese enemy.
The only hope of a quick fix is to rely on US supplied weapons at best.

My bet is, this is the path which Australia will follow with little choice.

Using the tactics of Montgomery in his winning battle against the Germans in North Africa c1945, the defensive position is one third less costly than the attacking position, we should invest all our resources into defensive ant missile technology, and not waste resources on nuclear armament.

And just as urgently, Australia needs to deal with the enemy within. The unreliable immigrants, without mentioning any particular nationality so as not to enrage the elitist fools that flooded the Country with them, for the sole advantage of propping up the real estate market. I call them the traitors.

Dan

The standout example of Australian politicians' lack of interest in defence is the submarine fiasco, plunged into as a job- creation exercise by the Turnbull government. As if the Collins affair wasn't warning enough!

If we are lucky, and still a free country halfway through the century, we will have another fleet of obsolete, diesel electric submarines.

History is being repeated by a different set of Canberra Clowns. $90 billion to build, and $145 billion maintenance over the subs lifetime. How many missiles and nuclear weapons could we have for that money has never been discussed.

And the two fools responsible, Turnbull and Pyne, are gone.

The also gone and unlamented Kevin Rudd got something right when he described the attitude to Australia's defence as "foolish" and "incompetent".

Dan,

Yes. There soon won't be enough people here interested in defending Australia. Different cultures don't have what it takes, and they can always slither back to their countries of origin if there is a threat.

Yes..and we have a prime example of the “Chamberlainians” on the opening post.

The other classic is still asleep in the blackberry bushes feeding the Cubs!

Dan

Sigh - all these nuclear weapons enthusiasts! There are all sorts of reasons why Australia will not get nuclear weapons. Probably the prime one is that our overbearing big brother USA will not allow it. Whether we like it or not, Australia continues to rely on USA as our nuclear umbrella.
Sure, we need to take China and Indonesia seriously. China is not going to attack Australia. The Chinese method is to overtake other countriess by trade, not by military attack, a much more successful method that the USA's fumbling military attacks .
Another ''line of defence'' towards China, and other Asia-Pacific nations would be for Australians to recognise that we are part of Asia - co-operate to adress climate changes, teach Asian languages, and cut out all the aggro.

Biden has presided over the most comprehensive and humiliating defeat in US history; given away $80 billion worth of armaments to the victorious Taliban, and American commentators continue to support him. 'Bye, Bye, American Pie'.

Some ally! They are calling Biden’s awful action "a gutsy decision, however chaotic its execution has been".

Over the history of foreign failure in Afghanistan, the British got their revenge, the Russians left with dignity, but the Americans fled in chaos, defeated and humiliated, abandoning vast quantities of military equipment.

And, the Biden Yanks cannot even secure their southern border against the invasion of illegals.

We are badly in need of a new ally, and the right sort of weapons to help ourselves as much as possible: an ally with a modicum of moral fibre and basic competence, one which would have mustered the will to fight rather than see decades of effort down the drain. And one whose political system would allow them to replace a blathering old incompetent like Joe Biden.

Yes, Murray! We who invented the superior pulsed light method of enrichment needs to use it and our natural uranium resources to arm locally manufactured missiles with nuclear warheads. And given we will soon not be able to give our coal away, nuclear power!

The only thing preventing this ultra wise pragmatism is the fools on the hill! Who seem to believe, hot having nuclear weapons will prevent us from being targeted by them. When in fact we could be targeted by ultra-high neutron bombs that eliminate all life yet not damage the infrastructure at all!

And safe enough after six or so months to enter and assume ownership of all they survey including all mineral wealth!

I mean, seriously, does the CCP, or for that matter, Indonesia, share our, respect for life or human rights, scruples!?

One needs to understand, there are surely times when one has no other choice than fight fire with fire!

Allowing the small and vociferous anti-nuclear brigade to decide our nuclear policy just to win a few votes is the most asinine reasons for adopting a stupendously stupid and diabolically dumb anti-nuclear stance!
Alan B.

ttbn. There are cage-rattling, vociferous foreign nationals and sympathisers, posting here who have no interest in us being self-reliant in our defence capability!

But, just the very opposite, and prefer we continue to sleep walk toward an increasingly dangerous future. where we could be overwhelmed in mere minutes!

I won't name names, but let the posts they post, speak volumes and for themselves!
Alan B.

Dear Macedonian,

«The world needs to get rid of all nuclear weapons which can destroy life on our one and only planet.»

Which is a better option than having to live under Communist rule.

Australia needs to reconsider the acquisition of nuclear weapons - IF IT HAS NOT DONE SO ALREADY!

Yuyutsu,
There are times when it looks very much like you're trolling, and this is one of them.

Firstly, life goes on but Communist rule always ends. Do you really think life not going on is an acceptable price for ending Communist rule sooner?
Secondly, the territory China wants is limited to what it holds a (usually tenuous) historical claim to. That does not include Australia, so the threat is purely imaginary. And hypothetically if it wasn't, non military deterrents would be just as effective anyway.

Nuclear weapons may have been valuable in the 20th century, but they're not much use against the threats of the 21st century.

Dear Aidan,

«Nuclear weapons may have been valuable in the 20th century, but they're not much use against the threats of the 21st century.»

Fair enough, then let us find an alternative that suits the 21st century - whatever works, if it does, other than surrender.

On another occasion I suggested a different weapon which worked in both the 19th and 20th century, so I cannot see why it wouldn't work now: scorched earth! If we mine our own continent so it becomes a nuclear wasteland if invaded, or otherwise unlivable and unproductive in whatever other way, then the enemy will not be motivated to invade us to begin with as they will have nothing to gain by it.

You say that China is not interested in Australia, but they used to say the same about Hitler and Xi is behaving exactly like him. On the bottom line, China has a huge population that gets harder to feed in a very polluted country. Xi wouldn't miss an opportunity to capture some other continent with generous resources, to settle some 250 million of them.

"Life not going on" is simply not possible: there still will be life forms on other planets, in other galaxies and in other universes: likely it will regenerate on this planet too. My personal preference is to not live on this planet if that means to live under constant terror like the Tibetans and Uyghurs - and yours?

Thanks for the article Murray Hunter.