Defence or Bureaucracy in Australia.

Here is an interesting chart from Visual Capitalist. It shows, in US dollars, the amount of defence spending by various nations. Have a good look:

Cast your eye on the comparative defence spending by Israel versus Australia. Let’s just take as given the data is correct.

Australia spends perhaps 2% of GDP on Defence or US$36 billion.

Israel, currently in the middle of a multi-front war, spends perhaps 6 or 6.5% of its GDP or US$34 billion.

Context is important.

• Australia’s population is around 27 million. Israel 10 million.

• The entirety of Israel could fit into Tasmania multiple times.

• Israel is located in one of the most unpleasant neighbourhoods in the world.

But notwithstanding all those issues, does anyone think that Australia gets anywhere near the value for money on its spend?

I would like to say that the recent Chinese military exercises in the neigbourhood are a wakeup call for Australia’s defence establishment but I somehow doubt it.

Only if the next military conflict was determined by meeting and memos would Australia be able to defend itself.

If you have access, suggest people read Michael Pezzullo’s latest in the Australian. Here’s a snippet:

Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is vulnerable to the application of that power. Second, to test our political and military responses. Third, to rehearse for wartime operations against Australia.

Regarding the last, the deployment was most likely a rehearsal run for the conduct of a seaborne missile strike on Australia, with China testing how it might most effectively launch missile strikes on Australian military facilities and critical national infrastructure.

No doubt lots of meeting have been had and memoranda written since within the Department of Defence. Perhaps a few committees also established.