The steady decline of Australia’s armed forces is a stark indicator of a deeper national malaise: the erosion of the social contract between leadership and citizens. As the nation pivots toward an immigration-led economy, the impact on the defence force is both direct and devastating.

At its core, the armed forces rely on a robust sense of national identity, pride, and purpose to attract and retain recruits. But why would any young Australian feel compelled to defend a country that seems indifferent, if not hostile, to their future? The current reality speaks for itself:

• Living Standards in Decline: Young Australians are expected to endure subpar housing, poor pay, and outdated barracks while leadership obsesses over “woke” agendas rather than addressing practical issues. The basics of decent living adequate pay, quality education, and liveable accommodations are denied to those who might otherwise consider service. What incentive is there to defend a nation that fails to uphold these essentials?
• The Cult of Victimhood: The growing prevalence of “woke” ideology has fostered a culture where resilience and strength are undervalued. The emphasis on victimhood over accountability and perseverance is antithetical to the demands of military life. As a result, potential recruits are more likely to wilt under stress rather than rise to the challenges inherent in defending their country.
• Foreign Recruitment as a Band-Aid Solution: With a shortfall of 4,400 workers, the government’s response is to open recruitment to permanent residents and foreign nationals from countries like the U.S., U.K., and Canada, with plans to expand further. Defence Minister Richard Marles sees this as essential to addressing security challenges, but such a strategy risk undermining cohesion within the ranks.

What happens when geopolitical tensions arise, and foreign-born soldiers find their loyalties tested? The possibility of defections or internal discord is not far-fetched in scenarios involving conflicts with nations from which these recruits hail.

• Erosion of National Pride: The reliance on immigration to fill critical defence roles underscores a larger problem Australia’s failure to invest in its own people. Instead of fostering a sense of pride and duty among young Australians, the government is effectively outsourcing national defence. This move sends a clear message: the nation is unwilling to back its own citizens to take up the mantle of its defence.

A strong defence force cannot be built on empty rhetoric or outsourced loyalty. It requires a government that invests in its people, values their contributions, and ensures they have a stake in the country’s future. Sadly, the current trajectory is one of systemic neglect:

• The failure to address basic living standards for servicemen and women.
• The adoption of divisive ideologies that undermine unity and morale.
• The reliance on foreign nationals to fill critical defence gaps.

These trends do not inspire confidence in young Australians, nor do they fortify the nation’s defences. Instead, they reflect a leadership more focused on managing the symptoms of a broken system than addressing its root causes.

If Australia continues down this path, the consequences will be far-reaching. An army without loyalty, unity, and pride in its mission is no army at all. The defence force’s decline is symptomatic of a broader societal shift a move away from national cohesion and toward fractured, transient solutions.

The question remains: what kind of country are we building, and who will defend it when the time comes?

Retired RAAF Wing Commander, Bob Redman, talks us through some of No. 9 Squadron’s operations in Vietnam.

Two Australian army battalions have been reunited in Darwin. It comes as Australia’s Defence Force pivots towards the country’s north. The Seventh Battalion has been moved from Adelaide following a recommendation from the defence strategic review.

Recently, #garysinise was honoured to dedicate a mortgage-free, specially adapted smart home to U.S. #Army #veteran Dennet Oregon who lost both legs below the knee in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. To find out more about the Gary Sinise Foundation’s programs for the severely wounded and its support to the military, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org

ED: Truly a thank you for your service

AUSA RELEASE

WASHINGTON: The US Army is advancing plans to develop a fifth variant of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), designed for autonomous launchers to target distances beyond 1,000 kilometres. This development was revealed by senior Army leaders during the Association of the US Army (AUSA) event.

Maj. Gen. Winston Brook, commanding general of the Fires Centre of Excellence, shared a slide at the event showcasing the proposed PrSM Increment 5 as a future capability. Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Rory Crooks, director of the Long-Range Precision Fires Cross-Functional Team, elaborated on early efforts for the project, which is set to enter the science and technology development phase in fiscal year 2026.

Crooks emphasized that the envisioned missile would be designed to launch from an autonomous vehicle, potentially enabling greater range and payload. “If you’re familiar with an [M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System] MLRS pod, it’s about 13 feet long,” Crooks explained. “With an autonomous platform that eliminates the need for a cab, you could deploy something larger, extending range capabilities beyond what currently seems feasible.”

The PrSM Increment 5 concept remains in its preliminary stages, with no formal development timeline. Funding for science and technology exploration is in place, but a full-scale competitive process for its development is yet to be scheduled.

Evolving PrSM Capabilities

Over recent years, the Army has been enhancing its missile arsenal to replace the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). The PrSM family is designed for deployment from both the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the M270A2 MLRS.

Increment 1, now being fielded by Lockheed Martin, is capable of striking targets over 500 kilometres away. Future PrSM versions aim to broaden functionality, including:

• Increment 2: Featuring a multimode Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM) seeker.
• Increment 3: Integrating enhanced lethality payloads.
• Increment 4: In development by teams from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies-Northrop Grumman, aiming to double the current missile range to exceed 1,000 kilometres.

Enhanced Command and Control

To support these advancements, the Army is outfitting vehicles with large 24- to 32-inch displays for integrated battlefield awareness, offering manoeuvre forces a comprehensive operational picture by aggregating multiple data sources.

The potential for a long-range autonomous missile system marks a significant leap forward in precision strike capabilities, signalling the Army’s commitment to maintaining technological superiority on the modern battlefield.

Human evolution is still a puzzle, with new pieces constantly being uncovered to change what we thought we knew.

The latest discovery in China adds an exciting new chapter to the story.

CLICK LINK to read article

A New Human Species Discovered in China, Rewrites Evolution

ED: This article was in my inbox this morning, apparently it was posted on Facebook.

When we went back to the Battalion in 2015, it really struck me how the diggers’ perception of the unit was vastly different from ours.
The Army wasn’t just our job; it was our life.
The Battalion wasn’t just our unit; it was our home. The Company was our family, and the Platoon were like siblings you learned to live with every minute of every day.

The Battalion was our home. We knew every part of it. We either ran or marched across pretty much every inch of the unit—an area 500m x 400m housing 800 men at full strength.
Within 12 months of marching into the unit, you were pretty much known by everyone. There were no secrets.

Every unit had its own Other Ranks Mess (ORs Mess), where the soldiers and NCOs ate. The ORs Mess fed all personnel living in: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the early ’80s, the unit normally had 250–400 personnel living in the lines and eating at the Mess. Married soldiers lived in Married Quarters, and after 18 months, soldiers could be approved to live off base. Soldiers living out didn’t pay Rations and Quarters (R&Q) for their meals and accommodation, nor did married personnel. That meant they weren’t entitled to meals unless it was a range day or an exercise.

Of course, that didn’t stop those bastards from trying to sneak past the duty staff for a free feed.

In 2015, many of the guys from the ’80s went back to the Battalion for the 70th Birthday on 12 Oct 2015. What stood out after a decade of operational tempo was the change in the Unit.

Diggers no longer lived in Unit lines. If they lived in, which most did for 18 months, they stayed in Brigade Area Accommodation in single rooms. After 18 months, they received a Rental Allowance to move out and find a flat or house, alone or with other personnel. There were no Platoon lines as we knew them. Sections and platoons no longer lived on the same floor in the same barracks.

Now, let me be clear—this is not a conversation that starts with “In My Day.” This is an observation about one of the strengths of a unit in the 1980s.

We lived together as one extended, outcast family.
We slept in our lines.
We ate at the Mess.
We watched bands at the Boozer.
We watched Rugby Test Matches at the Boozer.
We watched movies at the Area Theatre or in a digger’s Jack Room.
We went for runs together after hours or hit the Gym to play squash or box. We played sports after hours on the unit sports fields or company parade grounds.
And if we went for a haircut or meal in town, we did it with a mate and caught up afterward with guys from our platoon, company, or battalion.

We had mates in other units from training or sport, but we were always 1 RAR diggers first. 1 RAR was our home and our family.

Our memories of service life are intertwined with the memories of mates and the experiences we shared while living on base. For soldiers who were never deployed, those memories are our strongest reminders of service life.

A somewhat disjointed family, sure but a family, nonetheless.

ED: Reflecting on Today: If we could go back to those days of shared living and close bonds, perhaps we might see fewer of the struggles’ soldiers face today, including the devastating toll of suicides. When your unit is your home, your company is your family, and your platoon is your brotherhood, the sense of belonging and purpose can anchor you through life’s toughest storms.