Well, as the race to war escalates, Australia's next Defence White Paper should be a very interesting read indeed.
A new White Paper is due for 2020 and while its often late, we think that the Morrison Government is going to make sure that this comes out in plenty of time for them to implement their position before the next election.
The last White Paper in 2016 was marked by a move towards preparing for war in our region.
It seems that Australia's historic 'tyranny of distance' has now officially been usurped by what is being called the 'predicament of proximity'. When the 2016 Defence White Paper is looked at alongside the 2018 Foreign Policy White Paper, the concern about China's rise is palpable. Efforts to buy influence in the South Pacific and South Asia with projects like the 'New Colombo Plan' being backed up by troop deployments ready to protect 'the rules based global order'. The old adage that war is diplomacy by other means was turned upside down with diplomacy being used as a weapon. With all of our diplomatic efforts in the region being based on countering the influence of China.
Increased US troops based in Australia, increased use of 'intelligence' facilities like Pine Gap, undertaking 'freedom of navigation' manoeuvres in the South China Sea, undertaking drug busts on pirate vessels off the coast of the sub continent, increasing military production and sales, investing in major weapons platforms that are interoperable with the US military (and in some cases unable to be used without their OK), increased military exercises and training, and the reopening of the RAN Base on Manus Island, all point... well if not a lust for war, at the very least at a resignation of the next war's inevitability.
The last time we've seen a build up like this, with the sideshow of the military playing a bigger role in mainstream Australian life, was in the late 1980s. This was precipitated by both the jingoistic chest thumping around 1988's bicentenary and the coming war on Iraq which, contrary to the official narrative, everyone knew was coming and planning for.
This year, the warmongers are getting in early.
The defence production industry is gearing up and preparing not only for stockpiling weapons, but for developing services such as repair facilities that will be needed by militaries operating in our region.
There are calls for White Paper inclusions already. Calls by military industry boffins like Ross Babbage, formerly of the ONA for Australia to “offer to host a wide range of American combat and combat support units in Australia on a permanent basis” reflect the whole industry's thinking that rather than move towards an independent foreign and defence policy, our or rather, the industry's, best interests are served by aligning ourselves, more than ever with the USA. This would be a terrible idea at the best of times, with the current Trump administration however, it is nothing short of insanity.
Make no mistake, the Australian military industry is far from idle: It has a larger contingent of lobbyists in Canberra than ever before and they are all on the warpath.
Its time for the Australian peace movement to dust itself off and begin the process of working towards alternatives to war. It may soon be too late.