Although Green ALP has just cut defence spending to 1.5 per cent of the 2012-13 Budget — just $6 billion over the next four years, the lowest spending on defence since 1938 (Sky News July 29) – yet Green ALP treats the continuing growth of aggressive Chinese naval and air power in the Pacific by weakening even further the very limited capacity of our own defence forces.
The terrible danger is that such appeasement may soon deprive us of the means to defend ourselves as vigorously as possible. Consider this: the latest American defence proposal will be to install a Marine Air-Ground Task Force comprising a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, up to nine squadrons of aircraft, guided missile cruisers and possibly two nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia; our defence capabilities then would become first class. But no – Defence Minister Stephen Smith replied that these details would be discussed ‘down the track’ (“The Australian”, August 2, page 8), that is, at some unknown future time. How long is ‘down the track’, Mr Smith? What price our safety by not agreeing to the American proposal as soon as possible?
Dr Paul Fidlon
Armidal
