Posted on 12/19/2002 2:47:44 PM PST by Heartlander2
Australia will undertake a major upgrade of its special forces as the nation remains on high terror alert and prepares for possible involvement in a war against Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday.
``I will be announcing a very significant reorganisation and upgrading of capacity in relation to Australia's special force,'' Mr Howard told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio in the western city of Perth.
``This bears very directly on our capacity to deal with threats of terrorist and indeed other kinds,'' he said. ``In the wake of what occurred in Bali, we have, over the weeks that have gone by, looked at what needed to be done and what needed to be re-prioritised.''
Terrorist bombs that ripped through two nightclubs on the Indonesian island of Bali on Oct 12 killed nearly 200, including 88 Australians. Since the attack, the nation has been on high terror alert and the government recently said it had received a ``credible'' threat that terrorists would strike Australia in the next ``couple of months''.
``We've put more resources into intelligence gathering,'' Mr Howard said. The premier was due to make the announcement at the home of the Special Air Services, Campbell Barracks in Perth, as he welcomed home special forces who have just spent four months fighting the war against terrorism in Afghanistan.
The first intermediate goal would have been something like "make money" or "get good grades." The new intermediate goal is "watch out for terrorists." There is no way to judge if one is being successful with the new intermediate goals. The difference is that one can make money, but one will not see the terrorist before he disappears in a pink cloud.
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