Contributed by Jim Hayes

Scott Morrison has announced an upgrading of military bases in Australia, to better participate in coming “war gaming” exercises with the United Sates. This locks us even more thoroughly into the American military machine,

Justification for this is the claimed increased security threat. Although unmentioned, the claimed threat is obviously China. This  is a false flag. But it does provide the cover to spend another $750 million on port upgrading to facilitate the presence of U.S. marines there.

More will be spent on weapons firing ranges and support facilities at Robertson Barracks, Kangaroo Flats, Mount Bundey, and Bradshaw Field. The airstrip at Bradfield will also be lengthened and strengthened to support heavier aircraft.

In total, $445 million more than what was initially agreed to years ago, will be spent on these upgrades.

At the same time, the Prime Minister insists that his government is committed to peace. He said, “Our objective here is to ensure a peaceful region and that is something that we share very deeply with our American friends and allies”.

On ANZAC Day, the Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo warned that the “drums of war” were beating and  said that Australia must be prepared to send its soldiers into battle.

Who’s trying to pull the wool over whose eyes? Australia is bring fitted out to better play the role of  puppet to serve the intention of the United States to maintain the title of dominant number one global power and control over the global economy.

This undermines the sovereignty of other nations. This leads to heightened political tensions, and they in turn, increase the chances of conflict. If the policy is genuinely to promote peace, the effort would be put into building relations between nations that are based on equality, not on the superiority of some over others.

Photo by Seth Robertson/Stars and Stripes: U.S. Marines on a military exercise near Bowen

Consider this one point. The U.S. military is purposely designed to serve around the world to defend the interests of the superpower. In contrast, China’s armed forces are designed for defence. One has a military presence in all continents and in all oceans. The other basically sticks to home and close to its shoreline.

The so-called China threat is being manufactured to facilitate the imposition of  United States superiority.

Australia’s involvement in this, underlines our own lack of sovereignty. A fact that has immersed  us in a series of disastrous and unjustifiable wars. Continuing down this road will involve more war.

It would be far better for Australia to act far more independently and break form what is a subservient military alliance with the United States. This should be replaced with a foreign policy that treats all nations as equals, seeks to build a positive relationship with all, and opposes the hegemony of the powerful over others.

As it is, we remain locked in as second fiddle to a gunboat diplomacy that should have died with the end of the colonial era.