Australia has two rather stark choices in the war against terrorism. We can continue to support America, the only nation with the will and the resources to fight global terrorism, or we can go it alone and hope the fanatical Islamic Jihadists will leave us alone.
The appeasers who support the option of abandoning America in Iraq and Afghanistan will undoubtedly be the first to squeal if we ever experience another ‘Bali’ on Australian soil. They will fill letters columns blaming John Howard, write opinion pieces on our lack of national intelligence capability, and bemoan the tax increases necessary to pay for an independent defence capability.
They will undoubtedly have all the answers after the event.
The decision to fight the war against global terrorism in countries that harbour fanatical Islamic terrorists is correct. From a strategic perspective it is not the size of the force we commit to the war but the symbolism it evokes with our American ally.
Whilst the force we are providing to fight terrorism is regarded as token by some commentators it has exposed our lack of defence capability for sustained operations and placed great stress on our diggers.
Soldiers are now having to rotate through these combat zones on a regular basis. For six months of the year we require them leave their families to fight in hostile foreign countries. They then return, unsung and unhonoured and try to return to a normal life with their spouses and children as they train and prepare for their next tour of duty.
While they are back here they read daily reports of the hero status afforded to David Hicks by left-wing appeasers.
No such glory exists for our diggers. No welcome home parades, no medal presentations. They reality of the war against Islamic fanatics committed to the destruction of our freedom is such that they can’t be identified in public. They also know the enemy they are fighting in Afghanistan is already embedded in our society. They only have to read the hate-filled rantings of extremist Muftis in Sydney mosques to understand this.
Our military commitments to Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the Solomons combined with the difficulties of meeting our recruiting targets are exacting a heavy toll on our servicemen and women. Maybe if we paid less attention to traitors such as David Hicks and a little more to our unsung heroes we might assist in easing some of this stress for them and their families.
Tags: Army, International Affairs, My Opinion
