analyst: RAAF bases vulnerable to guided weapons

[CougarKing]

Hmm...

http://au.news.yahoo.com/080206/21/15rcj.html

Thursday February 7, 08:05 AM
RAAF bases vulnerable to guided weapons: analyst
A defence analyst says the infrastructure at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases in northern Australia is inadequate and they are not properly protected in light of the expanding use of precision weapons.

Air Power Australia Group spokesman Dr Carlo Kopp says a number of RAAF fighter aircraft are housed under basic shelters, and concrete bunkers should be built to offer better protection from guided bombs and missiles.

He says money should also be spent on strengthening runways and developing underground fuel storages.

But the Australian Defence Force (ADF) says it does not see any need at this stage to strengthen its bases in northern Australia.


ADF spokesman Brigadier Andrew Nikolic says he is confident the bases are adequately protected.


"What I can tell you is the arrangements to protect our northern bases are continually re-evaluated and they ensure that our defences match whatever the threat is we assess," he said.


Brigadier Nikolic says the bases are constantly evaluated.


"Defence is satisfied that the current arrangements for protection of our people and aircraft at northern Australian bases do match current threat assessments and also strategic assessments of future threats at those bases," he said.

 

[tdr_aust]

In the article in the Sunshine Daily list the following bases:

The RAAF operates a number of bases across northern Australia, including the unmanned bases at Scherger on Cape York and Curtin and Learmonth in west Western Australia, plus more established facilities at Darwin and Tindal in the Northern territory.

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/feb/05/aap-northern-raaf-bases-vulnerable/

Now 3 of these are 'bare bases' and that means to quote from the Air Force web site:
As front-line bases, bare bases consist of essential airfield support infrastructure – such as runways, taxiways, parking areas and maintenance facilities – which are used when the base becomes operational. Some equipment and supplies are stored at the bare bases for use when the base is activated, however, the bases house only a few caretaker personnel on a regular basis.

That just leaves Tindal and Darwin. Tindal is not exactly on the edge of things and as for Darwin, there is so much military stuff hidden there that is possible more important why was that not mentioned. I don’t mean Robertson Barracks either. Darwin is also in essence the International Airport.

Sounds more like a discussion paper for the sake of discussion, not reality..

 

[cobbler]

In the article in the Sunshine Daily list the following bases:

The RAAF operates a number of bases across northern Australia, including the unmanned bases at Scherger on Cape York and Curtin and Learmonth in west Western Australia, plus more established facilities at Darwin and Tindal in the Northern territory.

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/feb/05/aap-northern-raaf-bases-vulnerable/

Now 3 of these are 'bare bases' and that means to quote from the Air Force web site:
As front-line bases, bare bases consist of essential airfield support infrastructure – such as runways, taxiways, parking areas and maintenance facilities – which are used when the base becomes operational. Some equipment and supplies are stored at the bare bases for use when the base is activated, however, the bases house only a few caretaker personnel on a regular basis.

That just leaves Tindal and Darwin. Tindal is not exactly on the edge of things and as for Darwin, there is so much military stuff hidden there that is possible more important why was that not mentioned. I don’t mean Robertson Barracks either. Darwin is also in essence the International Airport.

Sounds more like a discussion paper for the sake of discussion, not reality..

Well this a quote form Carlo Kopp, the worst defence commentator in the English speaking world.

Absolutely no substance behind any of his tripe.

His work is a waste of space and he is a waste of my air and our time.

 

[tdr_aust]

First I only took one small quote from the newspaper’s article. That statement proved it was a report of useless substance. That quote is the first paragraph in italics.

For a start any person who has been in Darwin knows that there are a lot more important things to go bomb than the airport. Last time I was there some of these were hidden behind big dense tree lines, the only thing you saw as a small sign.

As for including the bare bases, that was as stupid as possible. It does indicate the guy has not seen much of the place and is only going by some vague thoughts.

What got me was he did not include anything from QLD. Nor make reference to any of the old WWII strips eg Batchelor a functional strip.

The paper he wrote is a waste of time.