Australian command disease

An interesting thing with Australia and its many failings in Defence Leadership:

The system loves studies. More studies, and, more studies. In those studies they mention wanting to find out the root cause of problems (many times) and then, do little to find out root cause.

Empty words. Time and again.

The Australian Entrenched Defence Bureaucracy is in absolute fear of firing those responsible for cause. So much so, that more times than not, they are unable to do it.

Firing, for cause, a flag-rank or other commander here or there, when the problem warrants it, is healthy to a military culture. It is an object lesson.

The system is made up of what can only be described as, a group of senior leadership which exercises moral cowardice as a consistent standard.

Patton: "There are more tired division commanders than tired divisions".

Firing, for cause would be healthy for Defence. For example, if a string of abuse on a ship happens and the commander and chief of the boat do little about it, you fire the ship commander and the chief of the boat.

As I observe this disease more and more, I am shocked at how the command climate in the ADF seems largely, unmilitary.

That is a serious problem.

Motion for Dutch to get out of F-35 program tabled

A motion has been tabled for the Dutch to get out of the F-35 program.

This by itself is not an absolute that the Dutch will get out of the F-35 program. It only allows for more parliamentary discussion leading up to the election later this year.

See this post by JSF News (Google translate Dutch to English) on the details which are still in progress.

Dutch proponents of the F-35 are now waving the jobs flag. Yet, due to significant development delays in the program, there are hundreds of lost orders against the original overly optimistic plan from over 10 years ago. Business investors have many risk, value and return-on-investment issues left unanswered.

High F-35 operating and procurement costs means that the Dutch will not see the original 80-some F-35 jet fleet. It is now closer to well South of 40 if not worse.

Also of interest, some are still addressing this as an F-16 replacement decision and not an F-35 decision.

To date, with all the budget and down-sizing issues present in the Dutch military, only the Saab Gripen appears to be an affordable F-16 replacement.

U.S. defense projects on Guam cut short by Japanese earthquake

Brilliant catch by Galrahn.

The Japanese earthquake has delayed their funding of U.S. defense projects on Guam.