RaymondPierreL3<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://aus.social/@andyjennings" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>andyjennings</span></a></span> <br>I understand what you are saying. It’s a version of a defence theory doing the rounds at the moment which does remind me of ‘defence in depth’ and the Russian ‘burnt ground concept’. As you point out, the Swiss terrain is a formidable barrier to warfare manoeuvres whereas in Australia not so much. </p><p>But the question to ask is: ‘how much of the Australian continent would we be willing to give over to an invader? My answer is ‘none’ and I’d venture to say that would be the answer you’d get from the majority. There is a reason why the US have a Marines Expeditionary Corp, which is to ‘establish and maintain beach heads’ from whence the rest of the military can conquer the land (successfully so in WWII if you recall your history).</p><p>No, I don’t think an Asian Switzerland can remotely work to guarantee our safety without credible deterence or without a powerful ally, and that means more money and much better preparedness. </p><p>PS. Also, I can’t see Australians (of all genders) being happy to undergo compulsory military training throughout their working lives and be on 48hr notice (if memory serves) to gear up and defend when called (as the Swiss are to date).</p><p>Hoping you see where I’m going with this…</p><p><a href="https://aus.social/tags/AusPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AusPol</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/ADF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ADF</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Deterence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Deterence</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/NeutralityIsExpensive" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NeutralityIsExpensive</span></a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Switzerland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Switzerland</span></a></p>