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The Albanese government has stripped our military of promised new fighters, new supply ships, new howitzers and new naval anti mining

The world is getting more violent with war breaking out between India and Pakistan, yet we’ve just re-elected a government that’s running down our military.

How worried should we be about an India-Pakistan war?

This new war between India and Pakistan – on top of wars in Gaza, Yemen, Ukraine, Mali and Sudan – is another reminder of the stupidity of our election.

The world is getting more violent, with China also threatening war over Taiwan.

Yet we’ve just re-elected the Albanese government with a massive majority after it’s stripped our military of promised new fighters, new supply ships, new howitzers and new naval anti mining, and left our navy so weak that it couldn’t even send a ship to track three Chinese warships which circled our continent, firing guns to scare us.

The Coalition, which promised to spend an extra $21bn on defence, was smashed.

The world is getting more violent, with a new war between India and Pakistan. Picture: AFP
The world is getting more violent, with a new war between India and Pakistan. Picture: AFP

Here’s yet another example of Labor winning the election with lies and handouts, and no plans for the great threats we face – low growth, terrible productivity and massive debt.

Plus a military so weak, in a world so dangerous, that former chief of army Peter Leahy last month complained there was “nothing left for bloody guns”.

How blind can we be?

Sure, this latest war probably won’t hurt us.

It’s the eighth between Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India in 78 years, and the others didn’t cause us trouble.

This one may well be like the last few between these lifelong enemies: lots of bluster, a few bombs, not many dead, claims of victory by both sides, and nationalist pride satisfied.

The latest war is the eighth between Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India in 78 years. Picture: AFP
The latest war is the eighth between Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India in 78 years. Picture: AFP

This started two weeks ago when Muslim terrorists murdered 26 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

India blamed Pakistan for sheltering the killers and fired missiles at nine targets inside Pakistan it claimed were used by Islamist terrorists.

Pakistan fired back, and claimed to have downed five Indian jets and a drone.

That might be it – or might not.

India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more chauvinistic than ever, and the dead include civilians on both sides.

Obviously, this war isn’t ours, and we’d never intervene.

Muslim terrorists murdered 24 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Picture: AFP
Muslim terrorists murdered 24 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Picture: AFP

But this shows how fast wars can break out, and how chaotic the world now is, when even a backwater like Yemen this week could bomb Israel’s main airport, and US President Donald Trump refused to rule out sending in the army to take Greenland from Denmark.

By the way, every war I’ve listed except for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine involves Islamic armies or terrorists.

Not a coincidence.

All this strife, yet we reward a government that’s running down our military.

That’s denial.

Andrew Bolt
Andrew BoltColumnist

With a proven track record of driving the news cycle, Andrew Bolt steers discussion, encourages debate and offers his perspective on national affairs. A leading journalist and commentator, Andrew’s columns are published in the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph and Advertiser. He writes Australia's most-read political blog and hosts The Bolt Report on Sky News Australia at 7.00pm Monday to Thursday.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/the-albanese-government-has-stripped-our-military-of-promised-new-fighters-new-supply-ships-new-howitzers-and-new-naval-anti-mining/news-story/44a2954bd7b3604937968c6c7d247832