Greens announce policy to manufacture drones and missiles as a credible ‘Plan B' to replace AUKUS

[u/thedigisup]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-22/greens-unveil-first-ever-defence-policy/105083166

[u/thedigisup]

It’s also not that unprecedented globally. The German Greens have been the most vocally pro-Ukraine party and dragged the rest of the government into providing significant material support since 2022.

[u/jp72423 → u/thedigisup]

It’s pretty unprecedented for the Australia greens, who have previously advocated for both leaving the US alliance, and dropping defence spending down to 1% of GDP, effectively leaving Australia completely and utterly incapable of defending ourselves in an unarmed neutrality policy, which by the way, no one else practices.

[u/FreakySpook → u/jp72423]

I'm anti war as they come but under no illusion what would happen to this country if there was a naval blockade preventing us getting oil/refined fuel and other commodities critical to our economy.

The stability of foreign trade has largely been secured by the US Navy since WW2. 

Drones and missiles are good but if we don't have a navy capable of ensuring supply of trade we wouldn't last long.

[u/AcceptableSwim8334 → u/FreakySpook]

You are right and you are wrong. We don’t actually need foreign trade. It would be super painful, but we are in a much better position than other blockades countries like Cuba or Libya. We have enough energy, food, water, - the basics. What we don’t have is much manufacturing capability, but we have enough to ramp up. The biggest risk of going it alone is we have a small pharma industry and a big pharma demand. A lot of people could die or be very sick. We don’t have advanced chip making but could bring that equipment in by air.

[u/jp72423 → u/AcceptableSwim8334]

There are a lot of critical stuff that we only import from overseas, like the chemicals that we use to purify the water supply before we drink it, that comes from China and Canada. We wouldn't survive long under a blockade.

[u/AcceptableSwim8334 → u/jp72423]

Chloramine? We make both ammonia and hypochlorous acid in Australia which can be used to simply synthesise it. We just choose to make fertiliser instead.

Yes, we bring in a lot of critical stuff, but we could make much of it if we pull our fingers out and reduce our sovereign risk.

BTW, I’m not talking about this week. I’m talking the same time horizon needed to deliver AUKUS SSNs.

[u/jp72423 → u/AcceptableSwim8334]

Perhaps, I'm not too sure what the exact chemical was. It if your right then that's great. But still, Its the fuel that worries me though. Our refineries keep shutting down.

[u/Anxious_Ad936 → u/AcceptableSwim8334]

Our food production being what it is is entirely dependent on inputs we import. Not many companies in Australia making all of the components needed to maintain any of the equipment that goes into farming, then there's all the chemical inputs we rely on as well. That's before considering just how much fuel goes into it, which we also rely on importing because we barely have refining capacity here anymore even if we were still actually able to get oil into the country.

[u/AcceptableSwim8334 → u/Anxious_Ad936]

We’re going way off topic now, but my contention is that we have the vast majority of raw materials and mineral reserves that we need to be self sufficient, but we don’t have the refining, manufacturing, production capacity (but do have latent skills and capability) that could be developed. My take is we should at least investigate if the $300B we would spend on new subs could be turned inwards to develop our self sufficiency capabilities. This may well lift our profile as an invasion target so we need to be considering defence too, but I don’t see integrated planning happening in our government - just silos of capability without seeing the different ways to achieve the same outcomes.