Apart from the Prime Minister, in my view the most important minister in the 2010-13 parliament will be the Defence Minister. Yes, more important than the Treasurer and Foreign Affairs Minister.
If the Treasurer makes a mistake it can be rectified in the next few years. But the person who becomes Defence Minister after the August 21 election faces a situation in which our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will suffer if they make a mistake.
Australia has been blessed. Both the ALP and the Coalition have a person – and probably only one person – who can perform this incredibly difficult task. In the case of a Gillard government that person is Kevin Rudd. In the case of an Abbott government that person is Malcolm Turnbull.
Since the 1960s the F-111 has given us dominance of the skies in the Asia-Pacific. Combine that with the ANZUS alliance and Australia was secure. The Defence Minister could afford mistakes.
In 2002 Australia joined the program to develop the Joint Strike Fighter to replace its F-111 and other aircraft. We believed that the JSF would be delivered about 2013 and would maintain our air superiority in the region. It is now not expected to be in full operation until 2020 – seven years late.
The delay was a serious problem, but nothing prepared us for what happened this year when the Russians unveiled the PAK-FA T-50. Once defence experts analysed the plane’s ability they realised that even if the JSF eventually reached its hoped-for specifications, the Russian aircraft could shoot it out of the sky. The JSF was like a rifle against a machine gun.
By 2020 Russia, India, China and Indonesia will have upgraded their versions of Russia’s Sukhoi fighter to the PAK-FA T-50. Indonesia, India and China will then have the ability to fly across the northern parts of Australia at will. Should we challenge them with the JSF, our planes will almost certainly be shot down. (end of excerpt)
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