5000 extra troops and 12 new subs …

*Pic: Is Malcolm Turnbull Tony-Abbott-lite … Tony Abbott, then PM, in the cockpit of a mock-up of the massively expensive and yet-to-be delivered Joint Strike Fighter.

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has responded to reports that the Government intends to dramatically increase the size of the Australian Defence Force.

“The apparent decision of the Abbott/Turnbull Government to significantly increase the size of the Australian Defence Force is absurd,” Mr Wilkie said.

“The Federal Budget needs to be brought back in to balance, so this is not the time to be increasing defence spending no matter how much machismo is sloshing around in the Prime Minister’s Office.

“With our major combat commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan behind us, and a compelling case to withdraw what’s left, this is hardly the time to be expanding the ADF. A more logical headline in the newspaper today would have been an announcement of a draw-down in the ADF, or at least stabilisation at current levels. The Navy can’t even find crew for the six submarines that it’s got already.

“The madness of this is breathtaking. Since 2003 a series of governments have been using the Defence Force in Afghanistan and in the Middle East to supposedly make us more safe. However both campaigns have been disastrous with the result that politicians now think we need an even bigger Defence Force to keep us safe from their first attempt at keeping us safe.

“I can only assume Cabinet had a movie night recently, downed a few beers and watched Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”

*Andrew Wilkie is a former Infantry Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army and ONA intelligence analyst.

• Mike Bolan in Comments: Interesting that they cannot find enough money to support our health service, that they seek severe cuts to pensions, that they argue that 800,000 job seekers must try harder to get one of 120,000 jobs, their irrationality knows no bounds! Where is the $1 trillion coming from? What’s the plan? Get drummed out of government then grab a cushy consultancy for the US defence industry?

• In Comments, Andrew Wilkie and Peter Whish-Wilson on Andrew Nikolic …