Review: “The Big Fix” By Albert Palazzo: Why Australia Should Quit AUKUS & Spurn Genocidal US
By Dr Gideon Polya
In “The Big Fix. Rebuilding Australia’s National Security” military and defence strategy expert Professor Albert Palazzo argues that Australia should urgently adopt a science- and reason-informed Strategic Defensive position as a truly sovereign nation to defend Island Continent Australia rather than its traditional Strategic Offensive position since WW2 as a minor partner of the US in all US Asian wars, paying an “insurance premium” in blood in the hope that the US will defend Australia from long-feared invasions by Asians.
At the outset it must be made quite clear that since the fall of British-ruled Singapore to the Japanese (February 1942) the “US Alliance” has been the “sacred cow” and sine qua non of Australian politics and Australian defence. Indeed Professor Palazzo describes himself thus: “I am a long-time member of the Australian security community and have written many books and articles on the nature of war, the nation’s future defence and the security challenge of climate change” (p9 [1]. However while he argues cogently and sensibly in ‘The Big Fix” for a more rational, science-informed and Australia-centric approach to Australia’s security, I don’t believe that he goes far enough.
In my view Australia like the whole world is existentially threatened by nuclear weapons and climate change and should quit any military alliance with nuclear terrorist, climate criminal, serial war criminal, genocidally racist and women-, mother- and child-killing America. As starkly exposed by the horrific, US-complicit Gaza Genocide, America is a Zionist-perverted dog being wagged by a Zionazi Israeli tail. The US is also an acute existential threat to Australian sovereignty and indeed to all Australians. Thus being intimately allied to nuclear terrorist America means that in any seriously escalating Big Power conflict Australia would be a prime nuclear target - but it doesn’t have to be.
In the following review I summarize the findings of each section of “The Big Fix” and provide succinct Comments including on important omissions.
Introduction: Breaking Dependency: Palazzo describes the launching of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States AUKUS pact that ties Australia to the American war machine for decades to come. The AUKUS pact was entered into by the Right-Far Right Liberal Party-National Party Coalition under devious and inept PM Scott Morrison who secretly trashed a huge non-nuclear submarine deal with France in the process. When asked whether he thought Morrison had lied in the process, French President Emmanuel Macron replied: “I don’t think, I know”. The AUKUS “deal” signed with “Genocide Joe” Biden involve Australia variously getting 8 nuclear-powered submarines for A$368 billion (US$240 billion) and locking Australia into US nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear weapons-based war strategy for decades. Thus Australia will allow nuclear-armed submarines and B52 bombers to be based in Australia as well as thousands of US soldiers. The cowardly and US lackey Labor Government approved AUKUS.
Palazzo: “AUKUS is simply the latest manifestation of Australia’s routine determination to secure its protection by embracing dependency on a great power…The craving to secure the protection of a great and powerful friend is seemingly hardwired in the psyche of Australia’s political leaders… There is no need for Australia to seek security by being reliant on the willingness of a friendly great power to protect it” (pp 4-5 [1]).
Comments. (a). I agree with Palazzo’s conclusion that is justified technically in other chapters of the book that support Strategic Defensive over Strategic Offensive policies for middle power Australia.
(b). A$368 billion (US$240 billion) for 8 White Elephants that will be Sitting Ducks in the “transparent oceans” of the immediate future (and perhaps already) is a shocking waste of money in relation to socially desirable expenditure on infrastructure, education and in particular life-improving and life-saving health costs. Thus the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: “Australia spent an estimated $252.5 billion on health goods and services in 2022–23 – an average of approximately $9,597 per person” [2]. Ignored by Australia, about 100,000 Australians die preventably each year from “lifestyle choice” and “political choice” reasons [3].
(c ). The damage caused by the bombing of the cities of a country with all the conventional missiles of a non-nuclear-armed Australian AUKUS submarine is negligible compared to the US$30 billion cost of the submarine itself.
(d). AUKUS makes Australia a prime nuclear target in any escalating war between the US and UK and another Big Power.
(e ). There are inescapable and compelling moral reasons why Australia should not be allied with a nuclear terrorist, climate criminal, serial war criminal and serially genocidal America.
Chapter 1. Understanding AUKUS. Palazzo: “Chapter 1 describes Australia’s traditional defence policy before diving into the details of the AUKUS agreement, the most consequential defence agreement Australia has entered into since the signing of the ANZUS Treaty in 1952” (p8 [1)]. In short, White Australia relied on the British Navy and the British Empire until the fall of Singapore in February 1942 after which Australia shifted allegiance to America. Australia contributed modestly to all 1950 onwards US Asian wars as “insurance premium payments” for US protection against future threats from populous Asia. Palazzo: “The failure to acknowledge Australia’s true purpose in going to war has cost our nation more than lives and money. It has also cost honour” (p25 [1]). The AUKUS agreement replaced the ANZUS (Australia New Zealand and US) Treaty of 1952 that was desperately sought by Australia and reluctantly agreed to by the US. The details of the AUKUS agreement are spelled out in this chapter but the bottom line is that Australia is committed long-term to US militarism. The US now bases over 3,000 troops in Australia, potentially nuclear–armed US B-52 bombers are based at RAAF Base Tindal, in 2024 US B-2 bombers attacked starving Yemen from RAAF Base Amberley, and the Pentagon built storage for 300 million litres of jet fuel in Darwin (p16 [1]). Palazzo concludes: “For Australia’s entire national history, defence policy has been singularly focused on obtaining the protection of a great power partner” (pp38 [1]).
Comments. .A lot of US-linked sins against “honour” were ignored in this chapter. (a). The ANZUS Treaty became an AUS Treaty after New Zealand objected to nuclear weapons in its waters. However New Zealand remained in the “Five Eyes” Anglosphere intelligence-sharing club with Australia, Canada, the UK and the US [4, 5]. Other ripples from this New Zealand decency included the extraordinary early departure of New Zealand PM David Lange, and the 1987 and 2000 Fiji coups in which Australia, the US and Apartheid Israeli were variously involved (Apartheid Israel supplied the weapons) [6, 7]. Indeed Australians were involved in 8 US-backed coups, specifically in Laos (1960), Indonesia (1965), Cambodia (1970), Chile (1973), Australia (1975), Fiji (1987), Fiji (2000) and Australia (2010), with genocidally racist, pathologically mendacious and endlessly thieving Apartheid Israel being involved in the last 3. In living memory Australia has violated all Indo-Pacific countries through military presence as a UK or US ally, and has violated all Indo-Pacific countries as a major climate criminal country [6, 7].
(b). Palazzo describes the Australia, UK and US 2003 invasion of Iraq as of “dubious legal standing” (p23 [1]). The invasion of Iraq was illegal, a gross violation of International law, the Iraqi Genocide and Iraqi Holocaust was associated in 2003-2011 with about 2.7 million Iraqi deaths from violence and imposed deprivation [8], and according to famed Professor Jeffrey Sachs (Columbia University) it was planned by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and top Pentagon warmonger Paul Wolfowitz [9, 10]. Indeed top American commander, General Wesley Clark (former commander of NATO), revealed being informed on about 21 September 2001 (10 days after 9/11) of the Pentagon’s list of 7 Muslim countries to be destroyed, namely Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan and Iraq [11-16]. All were variously devastated by American wars and sanctions with Iran being bombed by Apartheid Israel and America in 2025.
(c ). Absent from “The Big Fix”, Australia was involved in all 1950 onwards US Asian wars, atrocities associated with 40 million Asian deaths from violence and war-imposed deprivation. War is the penultimate in racism and genocide the ultimate in racism. The Right-Far Right Coalition was involved in all these wars and Centre-Right Labor supported all but the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. By way of comparison one notes that Nazi Germany was responsible for 40 million deaths in the European Theatre of WW2, the WW2 Chinese Holocaust was associated with 35-40 million deaths, and in the “forgotten” WW2 Bengal Famine (aka WW2 Indian Holocaust, WW2 Bengali Holocaust) 6-7 million Indians) were deliberately starved to death for strategic reasons in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Odisha by the British with food-denying Australian complicity [11].
(d). Australia rightly remembers the over 100,000 Australians who died in UK and US wars over the last 125 years but like “The Big Fix” resolutely ignores the huge civilian deaths in post-WW2 US wars. The main genocidal atrocities associated with invasion by the US are as follows (with deaths from violence and imposed deprivation in brackets): 2001-2021 Afghan War (7 million), 1950 onwards Asian Holocaust (40 million), 2023 onwards Gaza Genocide (0.7 million), 1978 onwards Iranian Genocide (3 million), 1990 onwards Iraqi Genocide (5 million), 2012 Libyan Genocide (0.2 million), 1992 onwards Somali Genocide (2.2 million), 2011 onwards Syrian Genocide (1.0 million), and the 2000 onwards US War on Muslims aka US War on Terror (32 million) [11-18]. The mendacious and war criminal US Alliance Mainstream utterly ignores these horrendous realities as well as the realities that that the US Government was responsible for 9/11 (most likely with the help of Apartheid Israel) [18] and the enormous firepower of the responding IDF was responsible for many and possibly most of the 1,139 Israeli deaths on 7 October 2023 [19].
(e ).”The Big Fix” also ignores the Elephant-in-the-Room reality that apart from inevitable border spats, most countries in the world (and most obviously nearly all of the non-European countries of the Global South excepting Japan) have not invaded other countries in recent centuries. In stark contrast, as of 2023 the US has invaded 72 countries (52 since World War 2], has committed 469 invasions from 1798 onwards, committed 251 invasions since 1991, invaded or otherwise had a military presence in all but 3 countries, and has 800 military bases in over 70 countries [20-29]. The US actively spies on and subverts all countries, including deceiving, subverting and spying on its most craven ally Australia, and indeed supplies raw intelligence on Australians to Apartheid Israel with the cowardly and traitorous complicity of successive Labor and Coalition governments [30-48].
(f). Not noticed by “The Big Fix”, nearly all European (White) countries including US lackey, Zionist-perverted and racist White Australia are allied to Zionist-perverted America and fervently support serial war criminal, nuclear terrorist and Zionazi Apartheid Israel that has been involved in 3 Coups in Australia and the South Pacific and like Zionist-subverted America, represents a huge security threat to Australia [30-48]. Extraordinarily, Australia-violating Apartheid Israel is not mentioned in “The Big Fix”. John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy unsuccessfully sought to have a peak Zionist organization declared an agent of a foreign power. After Israeli acquisition of nuclear weapons in the middle 1960s America became increasingly beholden to traitorous Zionists and Zionazi Apartheid Israel [49]. Indeed Jewish Zionists were one third of Genocide Joe Biden’s cabinet [50]. As a craven ally of the US, Australia is second only to the US as a fervent supporter of Apartheid Israel and hence of the utterly vile crime of Apartheid (those who support Apartheid are unfit for decent company, public life and public office in a one-person-one-vote democracy like Australia). In the face of mass starvation in Gaza while France will recognize the State of Palestine, the UK and Canada will do so conditionally, but the pro-Apartheid Israel Australian Labor Government and the even worse Coalition Opposition won’t. The Labor Government and Coalition Opposition are complicit in the Gaza Genocide in 20 ways [51] and lie for Apartheid Israel in 35 ways [52, 53]. Australia should simply not be allied to a genocidally racist, endlessly mendacious, serial war criminal and climate criminal America that subverts and betrays Australia and Humanity.
Chapter 2. Australia’s Threat Environment. Palazzo: “Chapter 2 examines the existing threat environment , for which AUKUS is claimed to be the central part of the solution. This chapter will argue that AUKUS’s singular focus on China as the threat against which to prepare is a mistake because it ignores the security challenge of a more existential threat, namely climate change” (p8 [1]). This chapter outlines China’s “catch-up” for economic and military power after several centuries of violation by European powers and thence Japan and America. Palazzo speculates on “likely” American military conflict with China if the US doesn’t concede China’s rise: “Australia, driven by its need to `prove commitment and relevancy to the United States , will assist its empire leader in some manner. Only the form this assistance would take remains unknown” (p45 [1]). Palazzo correctly identifies climate change as an existential threat to Australia and Humanity and is particularly concerned with climate disasters leading to instability and consequent military conflicts and threats. Palazzo sensibly concludes “Australia needs to broaden its definition of what constitutes national security threat, so it can also accommodate climate change in its defence policy (p53 [1]).
Comments.
(a). China is Australia’s biggest trading partner and, humanity aside, the widely canvassed idea of Australia participating in a US war on China is simply INSANE. Thus Australia would be a prime nuclear target in any escalating military conflict between nuclear-armed China and the US and involving Australia as a US ally. Any carefully calibrated tit-for-tat escalation in such a war would mean that Australia would suffer nuclear attack before Guam (a nuclear attack on metropolitan America would mean total nuclear war and the death of most of Humanity and the Biosphere). China brought 800 million people out of poverty but US-imposed war would undo one of the greatest humanitarian achievements in history.
(b). Ignored in “The Big Fix” are the horrific details of Western and Japanese violation of China. As sensibly outlined by Geoff Raby in “China's Grand Strategy and Australia's Future in the New Global Order” a major threat to China for several centuries came from Russian seizure of huge territories north of the Amur River and Russian colonization of Central Asia to the west of China [11, 54]. The British violation of China led to the 19th century Opium Wars and the Tai Ping rebellion in which 20-100 million Chinese died. An estimated 35-40 million Chinese died from violence and imposed deprivation under Japanese rule in 1937-1945. The US and Western sanctioning, isolation and exclusion of China until 1972 contributed to the 30 million Chinese deaths from famine in Great Leap Forward [11].
(c ). Also ignored in “The Big Fix” is China’s extraordinary record of non-aggression. Apart from border spats with India, Russia and Vietnam, China has only invaded and incorporated 2 major territories in the last 800 years ( Tibet in the 13th century and Xinjiang in the 18th century) during which time the English conquered Celtic Britain and thence a large part of the world [11].
(d). US-threatened China has expanded its military in recent decades, with this occasioning Australian, US, US Alliance and Western hysteria about “China aggression” and a “China threat” to the Western Pacific and South Pacific. However if one considers militarization of China on a per capita basis the story is quite different. Thus military expenditure in “US$ billions per million of population” ranks Apartheid Israel as #1: (1) Apartheid Israel $17 bn/6.9 m = 2.46, (2) US $601 bn/ 331.0 = 1.82, (3) South Korea $62.3 bn/ 51.3 = 1.21, (4) Australia $26.1bn/ 25.5 m = 1.02, (5) France $62.3 bn/ 65.3 m = 0.95, (6) UK $60.5 bn/ 67.9 m = 0.89, (7) Russia $84.5/ 145.9 = 0.58, (8) Italy $34 bn/ 60.5 m = 0.56, (9) Germany $40.2/ 83.8 m = 0.48, (10) Taiwan $10.7 bn/ 23.8 m = 0.45, (11) Canada $15.7 bn/ 37.7 m = 0.42, (12) Japan $41.6 bn/ 126.5 m = 0.33, (13) Poland $9.4 bn / 37.8 m = 0.25, (14) Turkiye $18.2 bn/ 84.3 m = 0.22, (15) China $216 bn/ 1,439.3 m = 0.15, (16) North Korea $4.0 billion/25.779 = 0.12 [55].
(e ). China’s development of uninhabited reefs in the South China Sea is called “Chinese aggression” by the US Alliance whereas the Zionist Israeli mass murder of 680,000 Gazans (mostly children) by war criminal Occupier Apartheid Israel [19, 20] is called “Israel’s right to defend itself” by the racist US Alliance [19, 20]. Under International Law a subjugated Occupied People like the Occupied Palestinians have the right to defend themselves but a war cranial Occupier like genocidally racist Apartheid Israel has no such right in a belligerently occupied territory. The South China Sea is called thus because it borders South China.
(f). Palazzo sensibly warns of climate change as a major strategic threat. However “The Big Fix” ignored Carbon Debt and the cost of war. Entry of the US into WW2 after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 meant that Allied victory was a foregone conclusion. America rapidly changed industry from a peace-time to a war-time footing and the US economy grew rapidly. Indeed this transition example has been used as a model for rapid global action on climate change [56]. US industry was not subject to bombing, unlike German and Japanese industry, although German submarines severely damaged Allied Atlantic supply lines for several years. After Pearl Harbor there were nearly 4 more years of horrific warfare and killing (40 million people died from violence and deprivation in the European theatre of WW2 and 50 million in the Asian theatre). However the eventual victorious outcome was obvious to an excited Churchill when he was informed of the Pearl Harbor attack [57]. The Brown University Cost of War project estimated 4.5 million deaths in the Iraq plus Afghan wars (I estimated 9.5 million [15, 16]) and an accrual cost of $8 trillion [58]. However while the damage-related Carbon Price is $200 per tonne of CO2, the world average applied Carbon Price is only $2 per tonne CO2. The US government total Debt of $36 trillion is dwarfed by the world’s Carbon Debt that is $250 trillion and increasing by $13 trillion each year. This Carbon Debt is an inescapable imposition on future generations – thus, for example, if huge sea walls are not built coastal cities will be inundated [59-68]. Wars cost money.
Chapter 3. Designing Australia’s Future Defence Policy. Palazzo: “Chapter 3 changes direction to describe the origins and principles of the military philosophy of the Strategic Defensive and shows how its adoption is in the nation’s best interests” (p8 [1]). Military strategy expert Professor Albert Palazzo adduces historical examples to argue that while a Strategic Offensive philosophy suits overwhelmingly powerful states, for relatively weak states like Australia a Strategic Defensive position is appropriate for various key reasons. Thus, for example, Australia is an Island Continent and the aircraft carriers and other capital ships of any invading naval force would be taken out by relatively cheap missiles launched from mobile carriers anywhere in 7.7 million square kilometre Australia. Palazzo crucially observes that “To achieve its goal, an aggressor needs to force an opponent to concede, but the defender’s ability to hold and kill an enemy at a distance forestalls this” (p75 [1]). This is further
well illustrated by the radically novel drone-based warfare that has stalled the war criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine for several years. Avoiding direct confrontation with an overwhelmingly powerful enemy was the basis of the success in guerrilla warfare as exampled by the Vietnamese defeat of the all-powerful US military machine. Palazzo argues that Australia has associated itself on the basis of “forward defence” with the US Strategic Offensive position in Asia that was ultimately defeated by economics and by far weaker opponents who adopted a Strategic Defensive position.
Comment. Chapters 3 and 4 that argue for a Strategic Defensive posture for Australia are fundamentally and philosophically the most important chapters of “The Big Fix” and one hopes they will be carefully read by the variously cowardly, ignorant, stupid and traitorous politician, media and government warmongers and jingoists dominating public policy and public discussion in Australia.
Chapter 4. Laying the Foundation for the Strategic Defensive. Palazzo: “Chapter 4 addresses the preliminary steps Australia needs to take in order to embrace the Strategic Defensive” (p8 [1]). Palazzo argues that “Security costs money and there is no easy way around this fact” (p82 [1] and that the money has to be spent sensibly. Palazzo argues that “What is critical is that Australia should not plan to fight a symmetrical war, particularly against a stronger opponent. Unfortunately, by investing in a force that aligns with America’s philosophy of war – the Strategic Offensive - it is building an ADF [Australian Defence Force] that is not optimised for defence, while creating a force that will be unable to respond effectively to conflicts triggered by climate change” (p89 [1]). Importantly Palazzo criticizes Australia’s lack of an overall Grand Strategy for national security involving military matters as well as non-military matters (e.g. in the economic, technological, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and diplomatic arenas). Palazzo sadly concludes: “There is no indication that the government will consider the development of a grand strategy, the concept upon which security hangs. The inability to consider other options, including adopting a philosophy of war such as the Strategic Defensive, sees the nation locked into dependency with its sovereignty compromised and our future in the hands of a transactional US leadership that lacks a moral code and a sense of loyalty” (p92 [1]).
Comments. Many comments can be made but here are just a few. (1). Re specifics of “a transactional US leadership that lacks a moral code” the Silence of “The Big Fix” is Deafening. Thus the US has had military forces in all but 3 countries in the world i.e. there are only 3 countries that the US has never invaded [25]. Under both the Genocide Joe Biden/ Kid Killing Kamala (KKK) Harris and Donald Trump/ James Vance Administrations America supplied the weapons, bombs and repeated UNSC vetoes to urbicidal, genocidal, nuclear terrorist and child- and mother-killing Zionazi Apartheid Israel that has demolished ancient, populous and culturally super-important Gaza and in the process killing 680,000 Gazans through violence and deprivation by 25 April 2025, this including about 380,000 under-5 year old infants, 479,000 children in total, 63,000 women and 138,000 men [20, 69-72]. Of course this lack of appalling specifics about US moral degeneracy is due to massive lying and censorship by Mainstream media journalists, politician, academic and commentariat presstitutes in US- , Zionist-, and Apartheid Israel-perverted, look-the-other –way Australia. For my attempts to penetrate the Mainstream Media Wall of Silence and reveal the Awful Truth to Australia and the World by articles, letters and huge books see [11-13, 16, 61, 74-80].
(2). In science one establishes “boundary conditions” in describing the ranges of physical and biological phenomena. When it comes to Grand Strategy in relation to militarization we have 2 extremes, namely (a) non-violence and (b) genocide. (a) Non-violence is exampled by Costa Rica that does not have an army, and Gandhian non-violence that defeated the World’s third biggest army to liberate India from British rule [11]. (b) Egregious violence is exampled by centuries of European slavery, colonial genocide and genocidal imperial wars such as those recently conducted by Nazi Germany, the US and Zionazi Apartheid Israel. A cowardly and morally degenerate Australia plumps for (b), egregious violence. Thus Australia (i) is second only to the US as a fervent supporter of genocidally racist Apartheid Israel, (ii) has been involved in all 1950 onwards US Asian wars (atrocities associated with 40 million Asian deaths from violence and imposed deprivation) [11], (iii) joined the US, Ukraine and several dozen US Alliance countries in voting No to the annual UNGA anti-Nazi Resolution, and (iv) is complicit in Zionazi Apartheid Israel’s Gaza Genocide in 20 ways and lies for genocidal Apartheid Israel in 35 ways [51-53].
(3). The Australian Labor Government and Coalition Opposition endlessly fulminate about “national security” and in particular against Chinese leasing of the port of Darwin (do they really think the Chinse investors will sabotage their presumably lucrative investment?) and against the Chinese navy in the South China Sea (do they really think the Chinese navy will block shipping there, most of which is to and from China?). Conversely, these utter incompetents shifted most of Australia’s oil refining off-shore to Singapore, leaving Australia with only a fortnight of liquid fuel if this supply is cut.
Chapter 5. What needs to be done. Palazzo: “Chapter 5 examines the government’ present plans for the development of the ADF [Australian Defence Force]. It unpacks and evaluates the major capability plans for each of the armed services and explains why most of what the government is acquiring is not in the nation’s best interest. In doing do, the chapter will outline what capabilities an ADF organized on Strategic Defensive principles needs. Lastly the chapter will draw attention to the place of nuclear weapons in the defence of Australia and drill down into the future of the American Alliance” (p8 [1]). This is a fascinating chapter for those interested in the latest technologies (including anti-war peaceniks like me who nevertheless perversely like James Bond, sci-fi and high tech spy movies). A short summary:
(a). Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The A$368 billion (US$240 billion) for 8 nuclear-powered submarines is a shocking waste of money because under-water drone and detection technologies will make them highly vulnerable White Elephants before they are even delivered. Ditto other Navy vessels. Palazzo: “The RAN’s future does not lie with crewed platforms. The government should cancel all the acquisitions it has recently announced. Otherwise, they will be rendered useless by the shift in the character of maritime war” (p122 [1]) i.e. relatively cheap drones and missiles will destroy these hugely expensive assets as demonstrated by the Ukrainians in the Black Sea.
(b). Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Highly expensive fighter bombers (e.g. F-35s) flown by highly skilled fighter pilots carry only 2 missiles and are out-performed by much cheaper longer range transport aircraft such as Hercules and Globemasters that can carry 4 and 8 missiles, respectively, under the US Air Force (USAF) Rapid Dragon program. These can replace putting expensive missile-carrying surface warships at risk.
(c). Australian Army. As demonstrated by the Ukrainians, missiles and drones in particular are effective in a Strategic Defensive system. Palazzo sees a limited role for the Army the reach of which is limited by the sovereignty of our neighbours, notably Indonesia. Palazzo: “If Australia adopted the philosophy of the Strategic Defensive, the main elements of the force could again be part-timers. The only full-time forces would be those who staffed and maintained the coastal defence force – missiles and drones – as well as staff, trainers and a small standing force that would be needed at short notice. Reservists would be mobilized as needed” (p133 [1].
This chapter also sketches space, cyber, climate change, integration, nuclear and US Alliance issues. Palazzo argues that civilian emergency services should be expanded to deal with a predicted increase in more intense storm, flood, and fire events (that are already happening). Palazzo queries the reality of a US nuclear umbrella for its ally Australia, and further comments on the US Alliance: “In ceding to the United States most of the military component of our national security, the government fails to allow the nation to develop as a truly sovereign state” (p147 [1]).
Comments. (1). Australia does not need a US nuclear umbrella – use of nuclear weapons in war is utterly repellent and prohibited by a huge majority of decent countries who have signed and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The TPNW prohibits a State Party from assisting the development, deployment and use of nuclear weapons “in any way”. It is Labor Party policy to sign and ratify the TPNW but the cowardly and dishonest Labor Government declines to implement this Labor Party policy [81-86]. Similarly, the Labor Government cravenly bows to Zionist America, traitorous Zionists and Zionazi Apartheid Israel in still refusing to recognize the State of Palestine, despite this being Labor Party policy and despite Zionist Israeli-imposed mass starvation in Gaza.
(2). Not mentioned in “The Big Fix” is the fundamental policy adopted by all civilized countries of encouraging friendship between neighbours without the need for unwanted intrusion of violent, racist and warlike external powers like the US and UK
which have no major territories or major population centres in Australia’s neighbourhood.
Conclusion. Becoming a Fully Sovereign Nation. Palazzo concludes: “By adopting the policy of the Strategic Defensive, and transforming the ADF, Australia will have a defensive policy that is more suited for its security situation than its present one, while also bringing to an end the nation’s subservience to a foreign power… The art of war has entered an era where the defence is in the ascendancy and Australia is pursuing the wrong side of the balance. We are now following policies that will lead to strategic defeat” (p152 [1]).
Final comments and conclusions.
“The Big Fix” by Albert Palazzo is an informed, sensible and must-read account of why Australia should adopt a rational, science-informed Strategic Defensive position for its national security and discard its post-WW2 policy of slavish commitment to the US Alliance and its aggressive, violent, racist and massively deadly Strategic Offensive stance. Palazzo argues for a rational and more independent Strategic Defensive policy for Australia within a continuing US Alliance. He also argues for a Grand Strategy that includes addressing the existential threat to Humanity and the Biosphere from man-made climate change. However “The Big Fix” ignores some major, Elephant-in-the-Room realties and does not go far enough. As summarized below Australia should urgently adopt a Strategic Defensive position, become Non-aligned and dissociate from any alliance with a serial war criminal, genocidally racist, nuclear terrorist, climate criminal, and anti-science US that is slavishly beholden to genocidally racist, egregiously mendacious and nuclear terrorist Zionazi Apartheid Israel.
One of the world’s greatest minds Stephen Hawking succinctly summarized how the world should address the existential threats to Humanity and the Biosphere from nuclear weapons and climate change: “We see great peril if governments and societies do not take action now to render nuclear weapons obsolete and to prevent further climate change” [86]. Below is a short list of what Australia must urgently do for its security:
(i). Australia must sign and ratify the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) that prohibits a State Party from assisting the development, deployment and use of nuclear weapons “in any way”. Ratification would mean that Australia could not be a party to AUKUS or any other alliance with any nuclear terrorist states such as the UK and US. Australia would consequently refuse to host nuclear-armed submarines, other nuclear–armed warships, B-52 bombers, US military and US spying bases (notably Pine Gap). Australia would also have to end 2-way military deals with nuclear terrorist Apartheid Israel [81, 85]. Australia does not have to be a nuclear target but is presently a prime nuclear target in any escalating Big Power military action.
(ii). Australia must expose and oppose massive subversion of Australia and its region by the US, UK and Zionazi Apartheid Israel. The US and UK were involved in the 1975 Coup that removed the Whitlam Labor Government [88]. The US and Apartheid Israel were involved in the 1987 and 2000 Fiji Coups and in the 2010 Coup that removed the Rudd Labor Government. The US involved Australia in 8 Coups from 1960 onwards, with Apartheid Israel being involved in 3 [6, 7]. America provides raw intelligence on Australians to Apartheid Israel [42]. Australian Mainstream media are dominated by the “king-making” US-owned Murdoch media empire with consequent to harm to Australian democracy – foreign ownership of Australian must cease.
(iii). Australia must rapidly adopt a Strategic Defensive policy and terminate extremely expensive acquisitions programs linked to serial war criminal America’s Strategic Offensive policies (notably the $240 billion [A$368 billion] nuclear-powered submarine deal. About 100,000 Australians died in over a century of UK- or US-linked wars but 100,000 Australians die preventably each year from “life-style choice” and “political choice” reasons [3]. Indigenous Australians in particular in the northern half of 7.7 million square kilometre Australia could be usefully trained and employed for national defence as well as for environmental protection, disaster relief and climate change action.
(iv). Australia is seriously threatened militarily by the nuclear-armed US and nuclear-armed Apartheid Israel, both of which have dangerously subverted and perverted Australia, and lead the world in high technology spying, high technology military and AI-driven autonomous killing (as horribly illustrated in Gaza by the Israeli Lavender AI program by which 20 civilians can be killed in the process of killing 1 targeted person) [89-91]. Could Zionazi Apartheid Israel assist Trump’s repeatedly advocated US annexation of Gaza, Panama, Canada, and Greenland or indeed help Trump America annexe Australia for more lebensraum?
(v). Australia must urgently and seriously tackle climate change by rapidly ceasing greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution Domestically and via its huge coal, gas and iron or exports. Crucially, Australia must urgently work towards applying a Carbon Price of $200 per tonne CO2 noting that the world average is presently a disastrous $2 per tonne CO2. A climate criminal Australia is threatened by climate change (presently record storms, floods, droughts and forest fires that will only get worse) but is among world leaders in climate criminality and environmental destruction. Thus Australians are 0.3% of the world’s population but Australia’s Domestic plus Exported greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are 5.4% of the World’s total [61]. The effective climate change denialist Coalition Opposition opposes concrete climate action. The Labor Government is strong on climate rhetoric about “net zero by 2050” but it flagrantly backs massive new and long-term gas and coal projects.
(vi). Australia must completely dissociate itself from US, UK, US Alliance and Apartheid Israeli state terrorism and complicity in horrific war crimes. Thus Australia has been involved in all 1950 onwards US Asian wars (atrocities associated with 40 million Asian deaths from violence and imposed deprivation) [11]. About 32 million Muslims died from violence (5 million) and imposed deprivation (27 million) in 20 countries invaded by the US Alliance after the US Government’s post-9/11 false flag atrocity that killed 3,000 Americans [17, 18]. US lackey and Zionist-perverted Australia is complicit in the Gaza Genocide in 20 ways [51] and lies for Apartheid Israel in 35 ways [52, 53]. By 25 April 2025 the Zionazi Israelis had killed 680,000 Gazans with this including about 380,000 under-5 year old infants, 479,000 children in total, 63,000 women and 138,000 men [20, 69-72].
(vii). Australia must urgently adopt the no-brainer Key Strategy of genuine friendship, partnership, reconciliation and non-aggression with its Indo-Pacific neighbours after over a century of killing Asians and Africans for the UK and US [11, 6, 7]. Look-the-other-way Australians sincerely declaim “I’m not a racist but…” and ignore this century of racist carnage. During my PhD in the late 1960s I drove around in a cream VW with the big black sign protesting the Vietnam War and saying “NAZIS KILLED JEWS WE KILL ASIANS”. 60 years later I go to huge Sunday rallies in Melbourne protesting the Gaza Genocide (0.7 million deaths from violence and deprivation) and the century-long Palestinian Genocide (2.7 million deaths from violence, 0.2 million, and deprivation, 2.5 million) with a huge Black-on-White 2-sided placard saying “WORLD: STOP PALESTINIAN GENOCIDE, ZIONISM” and “BOYCOTT APARTHEID ISRAEL, LABOR, LIBS”. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose (the more that changes, the more it's the same thing). Fundamental Humanity and decency aside, for useful strategic relations with its huge neighbour Indonesia (286 million citizens, mostly Muslim) Australia (population 28 million) should quit the genocidally racist and serial war criminal US Alliance and its Strategic Offensive post-9/11 US War on Muslims [16].
References.
[1]. Albert Palazzo, “The Big Fix. Rebuilding Australia’s National Security”, Melbourne University Press, 2025.
[2]. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, “Health Expenditure”, 24 November 2024: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-welfare-expenditure/health-expenditure .
[4]. Richard Kerbaj,“The Secret History of the Five Eyes”, Blink, 2022.
[7]. Gideon Polya, “Australia violates all Indo-Pacific countries”, Stop state terrorism, 9 December 2021: https://sites.google.com/site/stopstateterrorism/2021-12-09-australia-violates-all-indo-pacific-countries .
[9]. “Jeffrey Sachs ‘UNCOVERS’ Jaw-Dropping Israeli-American Plot Against Iran, Arab World”, YouTube, 14 April 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-xdHYF8bC0 .
[10]. “TRANSCRIPT: Jeffrey Sachs on the Geopolitics of Peace in the European Parliament”, The Singju Post, 22 February 2025: https://singjupost.com/transcript-jeffrey-sachs-on-the-geopolitics-of-peace-in-the-european-parliament/?singlepage=1 .
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[13]. Gideon Polya in Soren Korsgaard, editor, “The Most Dangerous Book Ever Published: Deadly Deception Exposed!”, Korsgaard Publishing, 2020.
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