There is something about 'send in the troops,' but I can't put my finger on it either. Is it to 'be seen as being tough!' Right Oh, Kids, I have gun, can Shoot, So behave. Or is it the squeaky wheel gets the most attention, and the troops are the trimmings of being seen to be doing something constructive, but we ain't! I can smell the alcohol from here.Too much bending of the elbow, in the great house of decision making.

Geoff is spot on.

The Australian Army is a small professional military. It is trained for military purposes, and occaisionally provides assistance in natural disasters, but never as well as people that are trained specifically for certain tasks. It is not the same as the American National Guard.

Its purpose is not policing. It's Rules of Engagement in East Timor currently allow for the use of "Lethal Measures" in certain circumstances. "Lethal Measures" is what the Army is good at.

Our Armed Forces should never be 'unleashed' against any Australian for any reason.