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Originally posted by wellard:
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.
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Yep it is pretty disgraceful (the fact that the queen is still the head of state is also pretty disgraceful!), thats why the government spends 500 million - 1 billion a year keeping them up to date and maintained. We have 100 JSF on order but I'm also concerned, other than them being late, that the specs will change too much (eg the US decides it doesnt want something on it anymore - i believe something like that has already happened. If the JSF's flight range isnt up to scratch we're boned.) so they wont suit our needs anymore.
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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]
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Also where was everyone (australia included) when indonesia invaded in the first place? Although I do know what the US were doing at the time; selling the indonesian's weapons (
). Which they promptly killed 2 australian journalists with along with 100,000 East Timorese. You can also chalk that one up as another UN failure. Anyone been keeping score?
