Readers’ letters on Beijing’s alarming submarine strength, Donald Trump’s real objective, the case for wind power, and whether we should mourn the loss of casinos.
It has been disconcerting to witness the level of concern in Australia when a small force of Chinese warships undertakes a patrol in international waters off Australia. As far as we were able to gauge its strength, the small flotilla offered no threat. In a conflict, Australia’s maritime forces, particularly our air defences, should have been able to make short work of it.
The real danger is that, in a literal sense, those warships represent only the smallest tip of what is now a large and rapidly growing iceberg. Would the Australian Defence Force even have known if the warships had been accompanied by one or more nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs)?
