China is increasing its defence spending by 7.2% this year, with the budget more than doubling under President Xi Jinping. Premier Li Qiang omitted “peaceful reunification” in the government’s report on Taiwan at the National People’s Congress. This reflects a more assertive stance on Taiwan. The defence budget increase, despite economic struggles, signals China’s priority on military growth, particularly concerning Taiwan. The defence budget’s consistent rise outpaces economic growth targets. China’s neighbours and the US express concerns over Beijing’s military intentions. China’s defence spending has remained around 1.3% of GDP, posing no immediate strain on its finances. The purchase of new equipment is prioritized to modernize the military by 2035. Tighter management in military procurement follows high-profile personnel purges. China’s emphasis on “reunification” with Taiwan without mentioning “peaceful” indicates a firmer stance. Taiwan urges China to recognize their equal status and enhance cross-strait exchanges. The language on Taiwan has moderately hardened, balancing toughness with stabilizing relations with Taiwan’s international allies. China vows to combat any moves toward Taiwan independence.

Just giving advanced notice that on Monday night (11/3) Julie and I are heading for Sydney … driving. The aim is to catch up with some friends prior boarding the Royal Princess ship on Friday (15/3) for a cruise of the south pacific including Fiji. We will be home again after Easter and back at my desk on Tuesday (2/4). I will not be posting to Frontline until my return, in total I will be away for 21 days. I will not be able to check emails during all that time.

Cheers

Ray

On May 21, 1968, nurse Jan McCarthy arrived in South Vietnam to take up a post at the 1st Australian Field Hospital at Vũng Tàu.

It was her 28th birthday, and McCarthy would spend the next 12 months in the region, working around the clock treating patients injured on the frontline of the Vietnam War.

McCarthy oversaw the theatre technicians and later worked in the ICU, dealing with a raft of traumatic injuries, including amputations and other wounds caused by gunshots, shrapnel and bomb blasts.

“If the battalions were out in the jungles, we were constantly on the go because you never quite knew what was going to happen,” she says.

CLICK LINK to read the article:

Bestselling US author Kristin Hannah honours Vietnam War nurses in new novel, The Women – ABC News

RSL Queensland faces considerable criticism following a notable alteration to its acknowledgment of country for Anzac Day ceremonies, sparking concern over the potential politicization of this revered national commemoration.

In a recent development, RSL Queensland has introduced a revised acknowledgment of country to be recited during Anzac Day ceremonies. This alteration has drawn sharp attention, with Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce expressing dismay and questioning the limits of such changes. The new acknowledgment reads:

 “We, today’s warriors, acknowledge the very first warriors who stood as the guardians of this ancient country on which we meet today. We salute their commitment to an unbroken line of duty that began tens of thousands of years ago and continues to this very day.”

Emphasizing the solemnity of Anzac Day as a moment to honour those who made profound sacrifices in defence of Australia, Mr. Joyce emphasized his discomfort with what he perceives as politicization. He articulated his concern, stating, “I just don’t like the idea of politicising Anzac Day, of saying, ‘Oh we’ve got to have these ameliorating issues, we’ve got to make addendums to what it is.” He underscored the essence of Anzac Day, rooted in the valour and dedication of Australian servicemen and women.

The pamphlet revealed that the revised acknowledgment was crafted by RSL Queensland State President Stephen Day DSC AM, with the involvement of Australian Army’s Indigenous Elder Aunty Lorraine Hatton OAM. RSL Queensland defended the new acknowledgment, asserting that it provides an opportunity to pay respects to Traditional Owners and recognize the enduring connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the veteran community.

A spokesperson for RSL Queensland reiterated the importance of delivering an acknowledgment of country while acknowledging differing views within the organization. They clarified that the introduction of a new version was prompted by some members seeking a more veteran-centric option, emphasizing that the fundamental essence of the acknowledgment remains unchanged.

In summary, the recent adjustments to the acknowledgment of country for Anzac Day ceremonies by RSL Queensland have ignited a debate regarding the appropriate scope of commemorative practices, underscoring the need for sensitivity and inclusivity while honouring Australia’s military legacy.

EXTRACT OF TRANSCRIPT – SENGLEMAN

THE Defence Department’s Directorate of Pedantry is not just alive and well in the purgatory of Fort Zinderneuf, it is thriving in an unexpected place.

Over many centuries military officers have turned pedantry into a fine art, particularly with military writing, where it even has its own unique title, “staff duties”.

It is taught in military academies and at special schools for aspiring senior officers, which are called “staff colleges”.

Staff Duties prescribe, in writing, every aspect of military life from the trivial to grand strategy.

However the pedant’s true art is to favour process over outcome, which canny subordinates can often manipulate to their advantage.

CLICK LINK to continue reading

Penchant for pedantry can be manipulated | Australian Defence History, Policy and Veterans Issues (targetsdown.blogspot.com)

Andrew Bolt Herald Sun March 6, 2024

Ha!, scoffed Chris Bowen last year. Don’t worry about whales being hurt by the massive offshore wind farms he wants built along our coast. “Whales are smart animals,” he smirked. “They can navigate around oil rigs, gas rigs, cargo ships, cruise ships, offshore wind turbines.”

Now fast-forward to this week – Wednesday morning – when Bowen, our manic Climate Change and Energy Minister, sneaked out a press statement announcing his latest whoopsie.

Good heavens, he’s just slashed the size of his planned offshore wind farm zone off western Victoria by 80 per cent. Turns out the whales are a real worry, after all.

Yes, it’s yet another clown show from the Albanese government’s most dangerous minister, whose green energy revolution is blowing up in our faces.

What’s more, his backflip also proves Bowen is a smart alec and planet wrecker with no idea what he’s doing from one day to the next.

Bowen’s announcement on Wednesday is just the latest evidence that just about every renewable energy project he touches is late, scaled back, behind schedule or wildly over budget.

He’s way behind in rolling out the wind and solar farms he needs, he’s way behind in building the 28,000km of transmission lines to hook them all up, his Snowy 2.0 scheme to store green power is years late and 10 times over budget; mega transmission projects are double the price or more.

In short, Bowen is driving coal-fired power stations out of business, without replacing them with enough green energy at a price we can afford.

Worse, what’s being built already is as popular as leprosy. Farmers are revolting against the massive transmission lines being built over their farms; locals are horrified to see their bucolic landscape dominated by industrial wind towers a quarter of a kilometre tall; beachside residents are furious to have their sea views ruined by monstrous wind turbines.

And think: for every wind tower you already see wrecking the view, Bowen plans nine more.

How mad is this? Bowen is ruining the countryside to pretend to save the planet, with plans that will make us pay more for less reliable electricity.

But there’s something else about Wednesday’s announcement that confirms Bowen is a zealot who’ll say almost anything – not matter how false or uninformed – to get to his Jerusalem.

Take this line in his media statement, hinting at why he’s now cut his planned wind farm zone to ribbons: “The final area is 1030 km2 – one fifth of the originally proposed zone …. The declared area works around the Bonney Upwelling, Deen Maar Island and shipping routes …”

You might have yawned over that bland passage, but that’s because you missed the hidden message: Bowen now admits that his wind farms are indeed a potential menace to whales – exactly what he laughed off last year.

The Bonney Upwelling is famous as a feeding site for blue whales, which is one reason the South Australian Labor government told Bowen last year to pull his head in and cut back his mega-wind zone.

“Concerns are held for the proposal’s impact on biodiversity, ecosystems, and impact on a wide range of wildlife, including pygmy blue whale, southern right whale, white shark, Australasian gannet, wedge-tailed shearwater and several species of albatross,” it warned.

“The zone’s proximity to our marine parks and the Bonney Upwelling is also of significant concern.”

Yet what’s remarkable is that last year the ABC and some green groups were helping Bowen to mock and dismiss people warning of just this – that offshore wind projects might harm whales.

The ABC’s Media Watch, for instance, attacked Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for saying there was “no environmental consideration of what these huge wind turbines – 260, 280m out of the water – will mean for that wildlife and for the environment”.

It also criticised me, along with a “pod of hosts” on Sky News, for reporting that a new documentary, Thrown to the Wind, claimed that the many new offshore wind farms off America’s eastern coast were blamed for an increase in whale deaths.

Media Watch host Paul Barry scoffed: there was “no evidence – according to the experts – that surveying and building offshore wind farms is causing whales to die”.

Yet Chris Bowen is now forced to junk 80 per cent of his planned wind farm in the southern ocean for exactly that and related reasons.

Get the idea these guys are just making things up as they go along, with no real plan, no real reason and no real hope?

Barnaby Joyce says Labor’s proposed fuel efficiency standard is a “bad idea” and will limit people’s vehicle choices, contradicting promises by Energy Minister Chris Bowen that it will give motorists a bigger selection of new cars, vans and utes.

“What we’re seeing quite clearly here is that we just don’t produce the fuel, we don’t have the vehicles, we don’t have people who can sell the vehicles and they’re going to cost more,” the New England Nationals MP told Sky News’ First Edition.

“It’s all around an incredibly bad idea for us,” he said.

“Like most of these ideas that emanate from inner suburban areas, you probably have people with money and with the capacity to get access to the parts over time, but not here in regional Australia.

“We’ve got to work with what we’ve got and we’ve got to work with what works and not with what Mr Bowen dreams up.”