Isn't Western defence hinged on provision of a web of credible deterrences?
And isn't it a cop-out for 'Canberra' to suggest that it should focus more on coalition membership - or, put more bluntly, saving yet more money by yet further reliance on Uncle Sam?
And isn't the real issue that, as foreign commentators have often forecast, there is no way that the RAAF's F111 (no matter how much beloved and DSTO-husbanded) would continue to provide a credible deterrent (either fatigue-wise or technology-wise) much beyond 2005. For the last 6 years or so, obvious to most except 'Canberra'. Are we about to see yet more breathtaking DoD decisions - inspired, no doubt, by its home-spun cottage industry of strategic 'thinkers'?