Pretty positive this is going to end up being a DNS level block that will be as simple as setting a dns server outside of the UK to bypass.

Because anything else would create an unbelievable amount of administrative overhead.

Also imagine the spike in identity theft this is going to cause.

I don’t agree that this is necessarily a weakness or that it’s overly strange.

While they might not be able to quite hit the peak fitness of someone in their 20’s and 30’s, you also gain a large amount of meaningful mental fortitude as you get older.

In short you have seen more shit and dealt with more shit. So generally you can bear more headship and pain before breaking, also probably less prone to discipline issues, and the older ones likely provide a good example to the rest.

In a war for the survival of your nation all able bodied people are needed. There are naturally more older people than there are younger ones.

I don’t think that analogy goes far enough…

The sheer level of hurt that the USDF could put on them is completely on a different universe to anything they would have come up against previously.

They 100% could obliterate everything in that theatre that even resembles a “target” with little warning and zero real strain, it would be significantly less effort than some of the training exercises that happen.

Someone is clearly being paid by someone else to provoke a response or provide a distraction (I wonder who)

Which I think is probably why nothing too crazy has happened in response yet because why give them what they seem to want.

I have absolute confidence that Finland will absolutely counter any aggressive actions all by themselves if they need to.

They have an absolutely staggering amount of artillery and you can be sure it’s all pre-sighted and ready to make any silly invasion attempts an absolute blood bath.

They also have a powerful and decentralised airforce, setup to operate from their highways and backwater air fields should the need arise.

Finland out of any nation in Europe would be the least of my worries about its ability to defend themselves, they have been gearing up and planning to defend against Russian aggression for generations, their people are motivated and I believe already armed with their service rifles after they complete their mandatory service period.

Add NATO membership into it and Russian threats are just laughable, dragging such a powerful and motivated foe into a war you are already struggling badly with would be incredibly stupid, not that that rules it out I guess.

The dumb thing about this taking myself as an example.

I drive a large heavy diesel 4x4, yes it’s not great on the pollution front I understand that.

But it’s all about perspective, I use mine to go on camping holidays for example.

Listening to someone who drives a Tesla criticise me for my lack of environmental awareness while going on 4 overseas flights per year that I don’t take is peak hypocrisy.

One long return flight per year contributes almost as much as my evil 4x4 does in a whole year.

I’m sorry what? I think you should go check your Iranian history then come back.

Iran was a flourishing moderate country before their Islamic revolution, they were even an ally of the US.

They had a revolution by a sect of ultra conservative sharia law islamics that changed all that.

The US is responsible for many unfortunate changes of government and old friends turning enemy… but not this one.

They got the way they are through oppressing the female half of their population, poor foreign policy, corruption and being more concerned with hurting their neighbours than building and maintaining their nation.

So they are now an unproductive, backwards pariah state that kills teen girls for trying to get educated or not wearing a headscarf, Iran did that all by themselves how great!

Firstly it’s not a Max version.

Second, the Australian airforce and Boeing developed this plane together and have already had it in service for many years with fantastic success and reliability.

I believe the UK RAF also has some in service.

It’s been operated with many of our allies on joint operations and sometimes with observers as they all knew that their AWACS fleets were in pretty desperate need to be replaced and were accessing it.

It is by far the most capable platform of this type, and it’s a ready to go mature design that the countries looking to come on board have already been operating along side and supporting in real operations.

Almost 40% of most democratic country’s populations would probably agree with most dumb and provocative ideas presented in a poll… especially now days with how partisan everything has become.

That said the Australia/ USA alliance is more important than any particular administration or head of government either our Australian government or the US government.

It’s an alliance of enormous mutual benefit that frankly is not going anywhere.

Australia is an enormous unsinkable aircraft carrier rich in resources, far enough from potential adversaries in the region to provide extremely strong defence in depth in the region. We use common platforms and tactics in battle, and have extensive integrated combat experience.

Perhaps even more important than any of that, it would be politically unacceptable I believe to our populations to turn our back on each other at this point, so many of us have personal friends and family in each other’s country.

We might occasionally have disagreements like any family does, and we might not like everything about each other but that’s how it goes with family. Any other country trying some shit I feel will find out fast that our alliance is stronger than it has ever been.

The US, UK and Australia have a bond forged in the fire of conflict and quenched in blood, anyone who wants to try and fuck with one should probably be ready for a fight with all… not to be overly dramatic.

I don’t think so…

This might apply if they were not going to just level the place.

This will probably be more “shock and awe” combined arms level the place and anyone in it with the orders being that in 24h time anyone left there is to be considered an enemy combatant.

I don’t agree with killing civilians like that but that’s what’s going to happen. Because right now they feel they have the geopolitical cover to just go in like a steamroller and flatten everything.

Oh man, look I don’t want to get into picking sides or whatever and it’s extremely cold hearted to look at is so frankly… but.

Israel is going to completely annex all of Palestine by force and fully occupy them even more than before…

They are already fully mobilising everything and looking steamroll anything that can’t get out of the way or that stands and fights.

The general vibe I’m seeing is they will do their best to straight up crush everything once and for all, while they feel they have the geo political cover to probably get away with it.

So many people are going to die.

In diplomatic speak, this is actually very strong language.

As an example one of the most extreme diplomatic phrases would be “x country has committed an unfriendly act”

Where do you think the saying “diplomatically speaking” comes from?

When the words you say can end in people dying or economic ruin, it makes you somewhat strongly consider exactly which words you should say.

In order to avoid… more aggressive negotiations from occurring.

The fact that their statement is clearly committing them to removing the barrier is strong language especially with the military power imbalance between the Phillipines and China.

China in the South China Sea is a bit like a 4 year old seeing what they can get away with.