From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's Tuesday, June seventeen, twenty twenty five. Aaron Patterson created four calculated deceptions and told bald faced lies and that's why she should be convicted of deliberately murdering three elderly relatives and attempting to murder a fourth. That's the crown closing in the Mushroom trial, where Patterson has pleaded not guilty. Defense barrister at Colin Mandy sc will make his closing
submissions this week. You can follow every Twist live at the Australian dot com dot a U. How to deal with Donald Trump? Give him what he wants. That's the advice for Anthony Alberonizi's first face to face meeting with the US President on Wednesday, from the President's former golf buddy and our former ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey. Plus what the Australian government really thinks about the possibility of war with China? What happens if China invades Taiwan?
Would China attack Australia? Would America defend us? Now we have a big clue to what the Australian government doesn't say out loud what they are really thinking.
China's conventional military build up is the most significant military build up that we have seen, conventional military build up that we have seen since the end of the Second World.
War, Visa's Defense Minister Richard Miles, speaking at the Australians Defending Australia summit in Canberra.
And it means that Australia's geography today is more relevant to great power contests than it has been at any point since the end of the Second World War, arguably at any point in our history.
A bit later, he said it again.
Our continent is more relevant to great power contest now than it's ever been before.
Now, if you read between those lines, what Miles is saying is that Australia won't be invaded by China in the future. Australia's too big to invade. Our biggest risk is being completely isolated by China cutting off our sea lanes and undersea communication cables. But what we would be doing if war breaks out is hosting American forces in
an even bigger way than we do now. The rotating US bombers at our northern bases, the US marines from twenty twenty seven will have the Submarine Rotational Force West, and the US is putting logistics facilities and fuel dumps in northern Australia. That means we'd be hosting heavy bombers, troops and missile launch sites. And here's why it matters.
Chaos in the air between New Zealand and Australia, forcing the diversion of forty nine flights when it began a live fire exercise.
In March, Chinese warships entered Australian waters, conducting live fire exercises and then circumnavigating our coast.
In seas never previously sailed by the Chinese Navy. The warships are being shadowed by HMAS Stewart and New Zealand frigate to Kaha.
At the time, the government said everything was under control. Now they admit it was a very ugly moment. At the Defending Australia Summer, the Australian's colonist Chris Yulman pressed.
Miles, were they targeting our cities? Were they rehearsing targeting our cities or any facilities on shore in Australia While they were doing that, you would know the answer to that question.
Look, I do know the answer the question. What we did with the Chinese Task Group was to engage in an unprecedented level of surveillance of that task group, So we do know exactly what they were doing and exactly what they were rehearsing.
The other thing that was that we were unable to really keep pace with them because that our fuel supply ships were in dry dock, won't they So it doesn't that we're talking about projecting power. We can't even project power around our own continent.
Well, we did well. We absolutely kept pace with them the whole way. And I think the ability for us to do that throughout the entirety of the period in which that Task Group was in the vicinity of Australia sends a very strong message back.
The Trump administration has announced a thirty day review of the Australia US UK Defense Packed ORCUS, and that sent a cold chill through everyone in defense. Australia has committed to borrow by and then build nuclear powered submarines with our allies that Donald Trump hardly seems to have heard of the deal signed by Joe Biden.
Are you discussing ORCUS?
With the Prime Minister sub But what does that mean, Orcus the Australia US defense.
Line so well, did be discussing that we've had another great relationship and you have to deal with Australia.
Yeah, we've had a very good relationship with Australia.
And now the Pentagon has launched a review of the orchest defense pack to make sure it's aligned with President Trump's America First agenda.
The Australian who knows Trump best is Joe Hockey. He's former golf buddy and Australia's former ambassador to the US. Hockey joined me on stage at Defending Australia. So with that expertise in mind, at all your other expertise, how would you handle if you were Anthony Albinezi, his first face to face meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday? What would be your opening Gamba?
I'll walk in and say, mister President, you've got a war in Ukraine to deal with, You've got a war in the Middle East to deal with. You're trying to restructure the biggest economy in the world. You've had a terrible political assassinations in Minnesota. Everyone that may to ask for something I'm here to say what can I do to help? Because we're aligned in our interests. We want freedom, we want democracy, we want a safe world. What can we do to help?
Like? What?
So, why not start now? Why are we waiting for the orchest subs? Start now? In South Australia building various components of the Virginias and the Columbus. An Australian owned company, Ostel is already in Alabama building the command centers for the Virginias and Columbus class submarines. Australian owned company in
Alabama is doing it. And why aren't we walking into the meeting and saying we're not only giving you a check for three billion, we're actually on the ground in Alabama helping you to build your submarines.
Now do you.
Think this review of ORCAS is going to make any difference? Is this just a box taking exercise?
No? No, And there's an ulterior motive. And the ulterior motive is in the United States there is great anxiety about the fact they're not producing enough for junior class submarines. So our solution isn't to say, Okay, we're going to take them off you. Our solution has to be actually we're going to help you build them. I'm not saying give up on the Orcus, but let's get into that. Don't just say, oh, we're going to send you these critical minerals and rare earths and you can do it all.
They've got blockages. I say, Okay, here's our solution. We've got e three visas. We can bring people over, you train them, We'll set up a maintenance facility in South Australia and Henderson and we will deliver. We will help you to reach your goals so that we both win.
Coming up, drones have changed warfare, so why don't we get them instead of submarines. Drones have changed warfare forever. In Ukraine, tiny light armed drones have devastated Russia's frontline troops and equipment. So why are we building billion dollar subs instead of buying underwater drones and long range strike missiles. Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Jonathan Meade is.
Blunt to conflict drones and nuclear powered submarines is to completely misunderstand our strategic context. We are the custodians of the third largest exclusive economic zone on the planet, and with our small navy, that's about five hundred and forty square kilometers per sale in the Royal Australian Navy. We're a nation that drives our economic well being and there for our national security potential from access to the sea.
Our six hundred and fifty billion dollar a year import export economy and the majority of the rest of the one point seven trillion dollar annual economy isn't it enabled by access to the sea. Either those sea lines are communications, deports, infrastructure, or the sixteen seabed cables that connect us to the world. We have few existential issues as a nation, but access to the sea is absolutely one of those, and none of those other technologies can contribute as strongly to assuring
that access to the sea. As a naval nuclear propulsion program, you cannot do the job of one of these submarines with one hundred uncrued underwater systems, and frankly, the technology at the moment doesn't even allow you to operate those in the international waters without assurance of being able to avoid a collision, something we're working very hard on. So
great question. All of those things are in the mix of the integrated force that the ADF is developing, but the principal capability and likely to determine our success at sea in the future.
Is this program all the smartest minds in defense? Read the Australian so to find out how this country is going to play a part in the world wars and peace of the future. Join us at the Australian dot Com dot a U