[wellard]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dragon_lord:
[QB] I'm 100% behind having a US base here, because:
-The F-111s are finally being phased out by 2010
-The F/A-18 hornets are scheduled to be phased out by 2012-2015
-The Joint Strike fighter will more than likely not be ready by the time the hornets are phased out
-The Indonesian’s are buying new migs.

The fact that the f-111s / hornets are still flying is a disgrace. We have been very lax in setting up replacements IMO. I hope that when the American bases arive (and they will) we dont try to save on aircraft replacement "because the yanks will look after us" That would be a sad and dangerous trap to fall into.

Its most definitely in our interests to have a US base here, we would be crazy not to. And to those who say having a US base here will make us a bigger terrorist target: We already have a US base here its called Pine Gap(will be a part of the missile defense shield). And since we are already a terrorist target (rich/western/big christian pop/east timor/iraq -> bali) it isnt going to make a difference.

The pine gap facility for those that don’t know is a joint OZ-US over the horizon radar and general electronic wizardry base out in the middle of nowhere. Very hi tech but low on personnel, more a military target than a terrorist one I would guess. As pointed out there will be many benefits for Australia with larger US bases down here, so many in fact that they tend to outweigh my doubts.

As for Australia sending its troops into Indonesia to free east Timor.... where the hell was the USA then? I seem to recall Australia being side by side in Vietnam, Korea, Iraq(1) when the USA needed a friend. We were left high and dry and in my eyes wiser to fickle one sided friendships. Thankfully the operation was a military and political success but thing could have easily turned sour very quickly and where was the defenders of the western Christian values then? [img]graemlins/dunno.gif[/img]