Defence analysis from Ross Eastgate drawing on Winston Churchill’s experience with ‘Mohammadans’ in both Afghanistan and the Sudan. Preparing for the long war ahead while discovering there is nothing new under Allah.. READ MORE  

Proficiency in another language is always helpful, particularly when a discrete profanity is required. In a life not always well spent mixing with soldiers of multiple nationalities in exotic locations, discovering new swear words has proved a valuable education. What passes as unacceptably profane in one language may be acceptable in another particularly when the words […]

Written by Ross Eastgate Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade is on  Saturday, March 4. It’s a date for your diaries, though you had better be quick if you want to reserve a place. In the interests of maintaining the mutually co-operative relationship between the Bulletin and Defence PR, Defenders is proud to assist promoting ADF participation […]

David Morrison crawled away from his Australian of the Year role as he performed it, self-aggrandising, unapologetic and intellectually irrelevant. Good riddance except credit where credit is due as he finally made some concession to those he should have been representing all along by acknowledging Legacy and the Salvos. It was a pity he studiously […]

Once Australia’s premier veterans’ advocacy organisation, the Returned and Services League is in rapid if not terminal decline. Its leadership is failing the broad membership, which continues to provide support at local sub-branch level. The RSL national leadership has failed the challenge of the 21st century as sub-branches close, local leadership ages and resists change. Young […]

“Obama declines to bomb an ISIS convoy because burning trucks will boost CO2 emissions … Australia’s defence wallahs fret about rising seas and drowning air bases … alarmist ratbaggery distorts strategy and budgets. Military effectiveness has a new enemy: the climate-scam crowd.” This 31 December 2016 essay by Tony Thomas is highly recommended. It looks […]

HISTORY sometimes has a strange way of repeating. Each of Townsville’s three infantry battalions has spent time in their formative years in what was historically referred to as the “Far East”, though it was “near west” from an Australian perspective. All served in Malaya during the Emergency and later as part of Australia’s military contribution […]

The ex-service organisations (ESOs) that currently endeavour to represent the interests of the serving and former serving members of the ADF are in turmoil over direction and leadership. Kel Ryan’s  current  research  “Pathways for the effective representation of the Australian Defence community (ADC)” seeks to address that question. Check it out here and add your comments Biography […]

Experience now tells us all military combat veterans sit in that identified high risk group, and we all despair as we try to identify causes, triggers and determine how we can prevent that. HERE’S a must attend event for your diaries if you are in Sydney on October 13 — a Thursday as it happens, […]

Last week the Defence Dysfunctionettes who run the ADF media and PR organisation scored an unusual orchestrated coup. ROSS EASTGATE, Townsville Bulletin – 22 September 2016 BUDDHISTS believe karma is the sum of one’s actions in thought, word or deed in successive states, which decide one’s fate in the next. Put another way, bad karma […]