thedrifter
11-20-08, 06:20 AM
Personnel-Stressed Aussie Navy Takes Christmas Break
[Elaine Donnelly]
The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that the Australian Navy will be closing for Christmas, due to personnel shortages and child-care difficulties facing families in its ranks. The article quotes the navy chief, Vice Adm. Russ Crane, stating his belief that this action will help “significantly reduce some of the separation rates we're seeing at the moment."
How can the Australian Navy be facing shortfalls in personnel recruitment and retention? And why do the Aussies have to work so hard to appear “family friendly”? After all, they have already adopted tolerant and diversity-building policies, such as acceptance of professed homosexuals in their military. Nevertheless, according to the Herald, in the last fiscal year the Australian military met only 73% of recruiting goals. With such enlightened, progressive personnel policies in place, how could there be any shortage of willing and able recruits?
Perhaps this is what the United States can look forward to if Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) makes good on his recent suggestion that military funding should be cut by 25%. The openly gay chairman of the House Financial Services Committee also is demanding repeal of the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible for military service. Do Mr. Frank and his gay-activist friends expect our military to take the holidays off? Inquiring minds in Congress need to ask.
The influential e-mail network USNA-At-Large, which is widely read by Naval Academy alumni and supporters, has been having a lively discussion on this issue. Correspondent Jeff McGarry wrote:
So, if you want to threaten Australia, mid-January is the optimal time . . . when their non-deployed Navy has all been off for 45 days, and are still 15 days from starting back to work (so many will still be on vacation far from their ships). It's also a great time to steal their ships since they have announced that no one will be on board. That's the craziest retention plan I've heard of yet.
Adds John Rogers ’70:
Is Australia part of the 1000 ship allied force that [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm.] Mike Mullen is counting on to defend the United States? Hope the Chinese come after us at some other time of the year.
Paul Lang ’61 asks,
I wonder what Australian veterans of the Battle of the Coral Sea (those still living or in heaven) are thinking now.
And USNA member Dick Nelson ’64 asks a fair question, which he posted with a picture of George Washington leading brave soldiers who overcame family-stressing adversity in a wind- and wave-tossed boat:
Obviously, Australia's enemies will also take a break and play by the rules. Wait a minute . . . does Al-Qaeda believe in Santa Claus? Didn't Washington cross the Delaware and surprise the Hessian mercenaries on Christmas?
Good Questions, all! And yet the cultural gap between the Australian military and our own is beyond the understanding of homosexual activists who want to repeal the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the military. They continue to hail this and other gay-inclusive military forces as role models for our own.
The Center for Military Readiness believes that the Australian military should be following our example, not the other way around.
http://cmrlink.org/printfriendly.asp?docID=337
Ellie
[Elaine Donnelly]
The Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday that the Australian Navy will be closing for Christmas, due to personnel shortages and child-care difficulties facing families in its ranks. The article quotes the navy chief, Vice Adm. Russ Crane, stating his belief that this action will help “significantly reduce some of the separation rates we're seeing at the moment."
How can the Australian Navy be facing shortfalls in personnel recruitment and retention? And why do the Aussies have to work so hard to appear “family friendly”? After all, they have already adopted tolerant and diversity-building policies, such as acceptance of professed homosexuals in their military. Nevertheless, according to the Herald, in the last fiscal year the Australian military met only 73% of recruiting goals. With such enlightened, progressive personnel policies in place, how could there be any shortage of willing and able recruits?
Perhaps this is what the United States can look forward to if Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) makes good on his recent suggestion that military funding should be cut by 25%. The openly gay chairman of the House Financial Services Committee also is demanding repeal of the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible for military service. Do Mr. Frank and his gay-activist friends expect our military to take the holidays off? Inquiring minds in Congress need to ask.
The influential e-mail network USNA-At-Large, which is widely read by Naval Academy alumni and supporters, has been having a lively discussion on this issue. Correspondent Jeff McGarry wrote:
So, if you want to threaten Australia, mid-January is the optimal time . . . when their non-deployed Navy has all been off for 45 days, and are still 15 days from starting back to work (so many will still be on vacation far from their ships). It's also a great time to steal their ships since they have announced that no one will be on board. That's the craziest retention plan I've heard of yet.
Adds John Rogers ’70:
Is Australia part of the 1000 ship allied force that [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm.] Mike Mullen is counting on to defend the United States? Hope the Chinese come after us at some other time of the year.
Paul Lang ’61 asks,
I wonder what Australian veterans of the Battle of the Coral Sea (those still living or in heaven) are thinking now.
And USNA member Dick Nelson ’64 asks a fair question, which he posted with a picture of George Washington leading brave soldiers who overcame family-stressing adversity in a wind- and wave-tossed boat:
Obviously, Australia's enemies will also take a break and play by the rules. Wait a minute . . . does Al-Qaeda believe in Santa Claus? Didn't Washington cross the Delaware and surprise the Hessian mercenaries on Christmas?
Good Questions, all! And yet the cultural gap between the Australian military and our own is beyond the understanding of homosexual activists who want to repeal the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the military. They continue to hail this and other gay-inclusive military forces as role models for our own.
The Center for Military Readiness believes that the Australian military should be following our example, not the other way around.
http://cmrlink.org/printfriendly.asp?docID=337
Ellie