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I find the per-capita military spending very interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditure_per_capita https://en.wikiped

I find the per-capita military spending very interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditure_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_... 1 USA 3806.4 2020 Estimate[3] 2 Israel 2507.6 2020 Precise 3 UAE 2020.4 2020 Estimate[2] 4 Singapore 1855.5 2020 Precise 5 Saudi Arabia 1652.2 2020 Estimate 6 Kuwait 1625.3 2020 Precise 7 Oman 1317.8 2020 Estimate 8 Norway 1312.0 2020 Precise 9 Australia 1079.9 2020 Precise 10 Qatar 1011.0 2010 Precise I can understand Singapore needing to protect itself against aggressive neighbours and all the Middle Eastern countries (including Israel). But Australia, who are they planning to fight? Timor? Papua?

SiempreViernes 4y ago
Australia plans to fight China.
- kspacewalk2 4y ago
  Australia plans to defend itself in case one of the Chinas attacks. The one that's neither people's nor a republic, despite calling itself so.
  - robinsoh 4y ago
    > Australia plans to defend itself in case one of the Chinas attacks. I'm not sure I find that very plausible. Especially when I find out about stuff like this where Australia has been extracting resources from its smaller powerless neighbors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93East_Timor_spying_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93East_Timor_s... The Australia–East Timor spying scandal began in 2004 when the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) clandestinely planted covert listening devices in a room adjacent to the East Timor (Timor-Leste) Prime Minister's Office at Dili, to obtain information in order to ensure Australia held the upper hand in negotiations with East Timor over the rich oil and gas fields in the Timor Gap.[1] Even though the East Timor government was unaware of the espionage operation undertaken by Australia, negotiations were hostile. The first Prime Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri, bluntly accused the Howard Government of plundering the oil and gas in the Timor Sea, stating: "Timor-Leste loses $1 million a day due to Australia's unlawful exploitation of resources in the disputed area. Timor-Leste cannot be deprived of its rights or territory because of a crime."[2] https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/989546260/i-remember-them-screaming-afghans-detail-alleged-killings-by-australian-military https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/989546260/i-remember-them-scr... 'I Remember Them Screaming': Afghans Detail Alleged Killings By Australian Military
    - kspacewalk2 4y ago
      Not sure how a minor oil fields dispute ought to modify in any way my original belief that Australia plans to defend itself against the PRC.
      - robinsoh 4y ago
        It appears to me that Australia is using its "defense" budget to fund offensive actions against weaker neighbors like Timor in order to steal billions of dollars worth of petro-resources. That's not a "minor" thing. Bugging a Prime Ministers Office in another country can't have been cheap. That's probably a couple of million dollars just on that operation.
        kspacewalk2 4y ago
        The scale of this problem, and this offence, seems so vastly different from the potential catastrophe that the PRC would wreak on all these countries and their neighbours if they're allowed to operate unchallenged in the South Pacific that, again, it just seems like a footnote to the real story.
stevehawk 4y ago
Australia is in a very tight spot with China. And China is now in a security pact with the Solomon Islands which will give China the ability to blockade Australia (and New Zealand) from the United States in the event of war. * edit * the reason this is significant is because: When China goes to take back Taiwan, the United States will need to be able to use Australia as a major logistics hub. Any inability to do so will significantly hamper, delay, or prevent aid to Taiwan.
- reducesuffering 4y ago
  China doesn't have a blue water navy and won't have the ability to reasonably attempt to blockade the US for at least another decade.
  - CapricornNoble 4y ago
    >>>China doesn't have a blue water navy It's got the ships, it just doesn't have the overseas bases. It is entirely based in semi-constrained waters. The issue with the Solomons is so concerning because, much like their plans for Gwadar Port in Pakistan, it would enable the PLAN to base significant forces outside the First and Second Island Chains. https://www.dw.com/en/china-navy-vs-us-navy/a-55347120 https://www.dw.com/en/china-navy-vs-us-navy/a-55347120 https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/Koda_BWN.pdf https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/Koda_BWN.p...
sremani 4y ago

SiempreViernes 4y ago

Australia plans to fight China.

kspacewalk2 4y ago
Australia plans to defend itself in case one of the Chinas attacks. The one that's neither people's nor a republic, despite calling itself so.
- robinsoh 4y ago
  > Australia plans to defend itself in case one of the Chinas attacks. I'm not sure I find that very plausible. Especially when I find out about stuff like this where Australia has been extracting resources from its smaller powerless neighbors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93East_Timor_spying_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia%E2%80%93East_Timor_s... The Australia–East Timor spying scandal began in 2004 when the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) clandestinely planted covert listening devices in a room adjacent to the East Timor (Timor-Leste) Prime Minister's Office at Dili, to obtain information in order to ensure Australia held the upper hand in negotiations with East Timor over the rich oil and gas fields in the Timor Gap.[1] Even though the East Timor government was unaware of the espionage operation undertaken by Australia, negotiations were hostile. The first Prime Minister of East Timor, Mari Alkatiri, bluntly accused the Howard Government of plundering the oil and gas in the Timor Sea, stating: "Timor-Leste loses $1 million a day due to Australia's unlawful exploitation of resources in the disputed area. Timor-Leste cannot be deprived of its rights or territory because of a crime."[2] https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/989546260/i-remember-them-screaming-afghans-detail-alleged-killings-by-australian-military https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/989546260/i-remember-them-scr... 'I Remember Them Screaming': Afghans Detail Alleged Killings By Australian Military
  - kspacewalk2 4y ago
    Not sure how a minor oil fields dispute ought to modify in any way my original belief that Australia plans to defend itself against the PRC.
    - robinsoh 4y ago
      It appears to me that Australia is using its "defense" budget to fund offensive actions against weaker neighbors like Timor in order to steal billions of dollars worth of petro-resources. That's not a "minor" thing. Bugging a Prime Ministers Office in another country can't have been cheap. That's probably a couple of million dollars just on that operation.
      - kspacewalk2 4y ago
        The scale of this problem, and this offence, seems so vastly different from the potential catastrophe that the PRC would wreak on all these countries and their neighbours if they're allowed to operate unchallenged in the South Pacific that, again, it just seems like a footnote to the real story.

stevehawk 4y ago

Australia is in a very tight spot with China. And China is now in a security pact with the Solomon Islands which will give China the ability to blockade Australia (and New Zealand) from the United States in the event of war. * edit * the reason this is significant is because: When China goes to take back Taiwan, the United States will need to be able to use Australia as a major logistics hub. Any inability to do so will significantly hamper, delay, or prevent aid to Taiwan.

reducesuffering 4y ago
China doesn't have a blue water navy and won't have the ability to reasonably attempt to blockade the US for at least another decade.
- CapricornNoble 4y ago
  >>>China doesn't have a blue water navy It's got the ships, it just doesn't have the overseas bases. It is entirely based in semi-constrained waters. The issue with the Solomons is so concerning because, much like their plans for Gwadar Port in Pakistan, it would enable the PLAN to base significant forces outside the First and Second Island Chains. https://www.dw.com/en/china-navy-vs-us-navy/a-55347120 https://www.dw.com/en/china-navy-vs-us-navy/a-55347120 https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/Koda_BWN.pdf https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/documents/Koda_BWN.p...

sremani 4y ago