Thread by @MurdochCadell

💯.
All Australian ‘Defence Policy’ for the last twenty years has been ‘political’ not ‘strategic’.

The wars we fight, and the way we fight them, are geared to winning elections only, not the actual war.

https://twitter.com/senator_patrick/status/1452735601111756801

The announcement re the US Subs was likely based on polling:

The French Subs were unpopular but photos of new equipment is great for election campaigns. Solution? Get some ‘new, new subs’ that cost ‘nothing’.

‘Cement’ the Australian ‘MAGA’ vote at the same time.
Bash China✅

Even when ‘bullets were flying’ around Afghanistan, (Crosby-Textor type) polling was running the war.
Because the awarding of Bravery medals ‘polled well’ for the Govt,
lots of medals (some dubious) were awarded.

Even though the evidence suggested that ‘the decapitation strategy’ wouldn’t work ( eg CDF Houston as early as 2006), the technology ‘hits’ on low level Taliban commanders continued right up until 2021.

Why? Because ‘kill TV’ (CCTV of bombs)won votes, even if it didn’t win wars

So cynical is Australian ‘Defence Policy’ that not only do they provide phoney ‘victories and heroes’, when the political winds change they through those same ‘people under a bus’.

The very same people run PR for the Army on the ground, in the dirt and blood etc, in Afghanistan, as run the MINDEFs popularity campaign in Canberra (and the major acquisition program, like Subs and F35).

Whether its war crimes, subs, or alliances, only ‘polling’ matters.

It’s why we will never have ‘war crimes’ trials, even after ‘Brereton’ (as they didn’t in the UK, or US).
They don’t ‘poll well’ with ‘Conservative voters’
They will quietly be shelved, when the time is right.

Somewhere in a basement in Canberra are the results of the polling that predicts tomorrow’s ‘strategic announcements’.
List of talk of ‘Freedom’ and Flg waving’. No substance.

It didn’t work before, and it won’t work next time.

The Department of Defence hasn’t protected Australia since John Howard gutted it of anyone that put service to the nation ahead of service to the Govt.
‘Defending Aust and their Interests’ now means defending the Govt and their friends.
The media, largely, play along.

How were Subs that don’t even appear for 20 years going to defend a huge, largely desert continent, when we don’t even have enough infantry to protect a single city, or jets that could bomb Fiji?
Marketing. That’s how.
Lots of Flag wavering, and pictures of ships. Hands on Hips

This week Peter Dutton derided the Greens Defence policy.

The problem is the LNP ‘Defence Policy’ is a marketing scheme.

They or the US are not ‘General Dynamics’, corrupt as they are, they are Enron.

If they couldn’t beat the Taliban they won’t beat the Chinese.
#truth

However you vote this coming election, and it’s your choice, don’t be fooled into thinking the LNP are ‘strong on Defence’ (the ALP aren’t, either, btw).
The US is a rapidly collapsing Ponzi Scheme of a nation, coming apart at the seams.
Scomo has backed a loser.
For votes.

The US lost in Vietnam.
They lost in Afghanistan.
They simply killed a lot of people and left Iraq, Syria, Libya in chaos.
If they are ever under attack they would look after their politicians and billionaires. Only.

They want us for our compliance. They got that.

A ‘green screen’ picture of ScoMo and Dutton of the bridge of a non-existent submarine surveying the horizon will probably win an election but won’t win a real war.

Dutton tries to laugh at Jordan Steele John’s Defence credentials but I’d back him over Dutton any day.
He is sensible and not beholden to the US.

Past allies of the US include:
‘The (ISAF) Afghan Govt’,
The South Vietnamese Govt’, and
both the Saddam Hussein and Chalabi Govts of Iraq.
None exist anymore.