I often look at national defence and tremble at what appears to be a huge hole.
Where there should be a citizens army theres nothing but a few weekend warriors (Army Reserve) and exsisting military personnel.
Ive probably mentioned this before but... the HOLE...it still bugs me.
Between existing military personnel and equipment and the loss of the semi-automatic rifles the farmers and gun clubbers once had... theres not much.
Brendan Nelson told me, when he was in power, there were no plans for any kind for a home guard army.
Would the gun clubbers be of value for a home guard defence force?
Theyre everywhere...most medium towns have a rifle range... and theyre generally responsible.
Could they be seconded to help an ailing Defence department?

Gibo... the Sporting Shooters Association has MORE members than our standing army :) does one need to say more ?

But I agree on one thing.. TRAINING for military readiness and having a structure in place to be called on at a moments notice..contingency plans.. strategies.. they would help a lot.

cheers bro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXeTP9J3i28 interesting video caught my attention.

Its a fairly incoherent idea these days, because political types have almost destroyed the idea of calling on 'the people' to serve their country.

The rifle club movement began in the 1850s when individual men trained to arms were a truly strategic resource. Australia's contributions to wars around the world, from the Sudan to Peking to the Orange Free State, through the wars of the 20th century, have been improved by the quality of our citizen soldiers.

But a climate of hate against the military and masculine traditional values has eroded the idea of a free citizen being developed as a resource for his country's time of need. And the contribution of high technology and advanced systems thinking needed to run an effective modern military have devalued skill in marksmanship, and the benefit of training and possession of small arms.

A modern citizen soldier would be valuable. If we train citizens to initiative, teamwork and resourcefulness just as our military are trained now. Develop wide-spread emergency services and first aid training, observation, communication and coordination, use of military arms and comms equipment. Develop new ways of mobilising people to local emergencies, with call centres, cell broadcast; integrating skills with needs via knowledge development.

Lots of opportunities, not addressed at present. I feel as members age the rifle clubs are no longer where the action should be.

Gibo in the year 2008 a couple of blokes with guns are not going to stop a modern army.

Modern wars are won with air power not with rifles.

I agree with Easy Times - the next war won't be fought with rifles.

We need to think about living in the era of a nuclear arms race, and of the threat of nuclear war.

When bombs are referred to as 'little boys,' missiles are 'peacemakers' and human beings are 'soft targets' in our media, new ways of thinking and talking about the nuclear issue are desperately needed.

The average person can expect to give up three to four years of his or her life working to foot the arms bill, while ever more people suffer from illiteracy, ill health and chronic hunger.

I fear that our world can become so obsessed with the problems of hatred and aggression, that it will allow peace and love to be regarded as soft and weak. Yet our survival depends on their dominance.

"Oh where are you coming from soldier, gaunt soldier,
With weapons beyond any reach of my mind.
With weapons so deadly the world must grow older,
And die in its tracks if it does not turn kind."

Stephen Vincent Benet.

Indeed. A bunch of blokes running around with guns seems like a decidedly poor strategic resource, when we already have a military force that we're pumping billions into.

Besides, our culture is more similar to the US than other mations that that have relaxed gun laws and it seems decidedly stupid to embrace the kind of situation that has allowed gun violence to flourish in America.

Gibo, I find it increadibly strange that in one thread, you're speaking about how much world the worse has gotten, how sexual predators are everywhere, and how it would appear we can't trust most people on the street, yet you're keen to see more guns spread through the populace.