I said 'I wanted'....I'm much older now and although I have no intention of being a lapdog I can accept that others need to be.

Hasbeen's post indicates that few people wish to join the navy. Don't suppose that would have anything to do with the current gender-bending and feminisation of the the services, would it?

They can get them to join ttbn, they just can't get them to stay after they are trained. The useless deadheads do stay, but those with the ability to make things work disappear very quickly, when they find how little they are valued.

When you have our 2 major ships recently being followed by large ocean going tugs, it says a lot about the condition of our ships, & the standard of the maintenance.

Oz is due south of Guam and Japan which have the right of first shot at a missile . However the Law says you can't shoot down an innocent missile.
"Malcolm, Anderson Base in Guam speaking. We think our mutual friend just sent one down under . Let us know how you get on".
...( chat chat)..
"Anderson , we just lost Gunnagetmuddy buffalo farm near Darwin . I'm extremely cross and so is Julie. Very cross . We're resolved to do something serious".
" OK Malcolm. Tweeting Trump now"

Hasbeen,

But I see that they have now given the Collins the A OK, just before it's due to be decommissioned. I can't see why we are not buying off the shelf, proven vessels rather than making work for SA to keep the "mincing poodle" in parliament. Our defence should have nothing to do job creation; it's far too important.

A country that cannot make it's own weapons to defend itself has to ask itself whether it is just a hole in the ground with it's only purpose being to provide industrialized nations with raw materials, in which case let the industrialized nations defend 'the hole'. Individually Australians are hard working, collectively they have no idea of either entity or self determination, save for amassing 'friends' on Facebook and acquainting themselves with the latest iphone features.
A country where 'free money' is there for the asking and with no idea as to what to do when it runs out....and it will run out given it's propensity for buying and not making it's own.
I've said it before... a nation that surrenders it's manufacturing surrenders it's right to self determination.
With the free loaders we have in govt being paid on the forever ever plan, with the blessing of the voters, the voters are entitled to everything coming their way.