(Click To Enlarge)Australian navy ships side profiles (Image from Defense Talk)
From Yahoo News/AP:
CANBERRA, Australia – Australia's navy gets a big Christmas gift this year: two months paid vacation for most sailors that will ease the effects of a recruiting slump but make the service Down Under look something like a part-time operation.
The navy hopes that by making life on the sea more family-friendly, it will attract the extra 2,000 sailors it needs achieve its target strength of 15,000.
Critics say the so-called shut down, which inspired a front page newspaper headline Tuesday: "Navy Closes For Christmas," will worry Australia's major defense ally, the United States.
"Mothballing your ships for two months sends totally the wrong message to our region and to our allies," opposition defense spokesman David Johnston told The Associated Press. "I've never heard of anything like this. I'm flabbergasted."
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My Comment: Australia is an island. It's first line of defense is its navy. I guess with this order Australia has made the decision to no longer seriously defend its borders. This decision sends the wrong message to everyone.