The Oil Drum: Australia/New Zealand

(quote)We do have to design to be effective. We cannot [afford to] move a ton to move a person. (unquote)

Yes, this is exactly the reason we're IN this mess.

I applaud the efforts of Major Cameron Leckie to try and get his organisation to pay attention to what will rapidly undermine the military's effectiveness and indeed, threaten it's very survival, as it does the rest of us. Some may welcome the disappearance of the military. I don't think that any process short of lions voluntarily not eating lambs will suffice to allow us to disband the military without handing ourselves over bound and gagged to the worst elements in human society.

However, on a more realistic angle, I also note that the Aussie Military have purchased the unbelievably bad Coffin Class, erm, Collins Class subs, some of which are so unseaworthy they cannot be untied from the wharf lest they roll over and sink, viz:

(quote)The McIntosh-Prescott report covered the initial shortcomings of the Collins-class subs, shortcomings so severe that the submarines were not considered fit for combat duty:
The essential and the visible problem with the Collins Class submarines is that they cannot perform at the levels required for military operations. The underlying cause is a myriad of design deficiencies and consequential operational limitations relating to the platform and combat system.[2]
The report went on to note that the vessels were noisy and thus vulnerable to attack, piping problems posed a serious hazard, their engines broke down regularly, a badly shaped hull and fin made too much disturbance when they moved at speed under water, the view from the periscope was blurry, the communications system was outdated, and the propellers were likely to crack (unquote)

and

(quote) in 2005, it was revealed that the maximum diving depth of the Collins class had been reduced following an incident in February 2003, when a seawater hose failed on HMAS Dechaineux, flooding the engine room and almost sinking the vessel.[12] The maximum depth remains classified (unquote)

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collins_class_submarine

Then there's the "steyr" rifle (sometimes spelt "Stier") which the Army is cursed to use. The propaganda is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austeyr

The reality is here:
(quote) The Steyr proved to be defective. The Army issued an order No. 7196-94. This indicated that the Steyr should not be used on rapid fire for long because [the] plastic parts melted.

The Saudis tried the Steyr and rejected it because it could not handle the dusty conditions. It was also reported that the tiny .223cal was no good in the tropical wet either. It didn't take many drops of water down the barrel to make the gun unsafe to the operator. The optical sight fogs up in the jungle and, since the rifle has no other sight, the soldier is in deep trouble. (unquote)

From: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/decline/pitt/defenc99.htm#steyr

It's also prone to melt if exposed to mosquito repellant.

These rifles have to be sent back to the factory if the thing is dropped as the the sights cannot be field-repaired and the Steyr has an uncomfortable tendency to self-initiate firing if dropped, :
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a2ZRQan0C0bQ&refer=a...

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-30417642.html

and

(quote) Defence commentator John Hunter Farrell, publisher of ANZ Defence magazine,..."the F88 Steyr has a number of features that make is susceptible to accidental discharge," he said.

"Chief amongst these is the cross bolt safety catch, which can be switched from safe to fire simply by lying the weapon on its side, and the arctic trigger guard, which by its very nature, is a much larger area for obstacles, article of equipment and clothing to penetrate."

Steyrs have been implicated in a number of accidents.

Lance Corporal Shannon McAliney died in Somalia in April 1993 when a Steyr rifle held by a colleague accidentally fired as they set out on patrol. He was Australia's only casualty of the Somalia deployment.

Corporal Stuart Jones died in East Timor August 2000 when a Steyr rifle accidentally discharged as he and fellow soldiers travelled in an armoured vehicle over rough country near the border with Indonesian West Timor.

...
Under current weapons handling procedures, soldiers must demonstrate a Steyr is unloaded by physically removing the barrel...
(unquote)
from: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/04/22/1145344307343.html?from=rss

AHHH, it's things like having to take the entire gun to bits in order to stop it shooting it's own operator that makes me OH so confident that the Australian Military are not being saddled with appallingly bad equipment and the government is taking their concerns seriously.(\sarcasm)

Somehow, under the circumstances, I really doubt the Australian military will do very much about, well...anything, let alone Peak Oil, but it's nice to know that somebody cared enough about the subject to actually take the time to research and publish this report.