As I write this paragraph, it is 11:16 on a Tuesday night and we are being buzzed by a Eurocopter Tiger, which has been deployed for the purposes of watching over the 8 local government areas of Western Sydney, as we are in a 5km lockdown cage.
I know that it is a Eurocopter Tiger as over the last 10 days, we have been visited by a number of different types of aircraft which are operated by the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the NSW Police. This has meant that even if we aren't allowed to travel more than 5km (I am currently banned from leaving and going to work), we can at least look upwards to the skies and watch some people who are allowed to travel outside of their local government area.
The thing about the Eurocopter Tiger is that it is a multirole attack helicopter which was originally developed as an anti-tank platform. As an attack helicopter, it's purpose is the destruction of people, assets and buildings; which makes it near enough useless in the war against the unseen enemy of the virus. It is however, equipped with night vision; which means that it can spot people who are outside in the darkness. The only person that it would have seen outside in the 5° nighttime was a nerd in glasses, looking up into the night sky; wondering why an anti-tank platform has been deployed to spy over Western Sydney.
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As I write this paragraph on Wednesday morning, I am looking towards the western skies and watching as a C-130 Hercules is wending its way towards me.
According to Lockheed Martin, the C-130J Hercules 'goes where other airlifters can’t, won’t or don’t go.' I do not think that Lockheed Martin ever thought about its aircraft flying reconnaissance missions over civilian populations in friendly countries.
Again, I do not know what purpose flying reconnaissance missions over civilian populations is designed to do, against the unseen enemy of the virus.
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Also every night for the last 10 days, we have had the NSW Police PolAir service in the skies, presumably enforcing the lockdown regulations.
The NSW Police Force has five Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopters; which are all equipped with blue and red flashing lights and which also have searchlights which they can use to shine down upon people.
They seem to be very happy up there, doing laps following the major roads and highways. Presumably as there are eight local government areas in Western Sydney which are the declared red zones, that the five PolAir helicopters are all covering wide ranges. I can only guess this as since the rules have been put into place, apart from walking around, I have not been very far at all.
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I have also seen of late, a Blackhawk and what I think is a C-17 Globemaster, though I can not imagine what purpose either of those are serving.
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In this lockdown, I have seen the police on literally every trip that I have made that wasn't by foot; including yesterday when I went to the supermarket and saw two police officers inside Westpoint Blacktown, who were checking-in with the cashiers of an Aldi. The rest of the shopping centre was closed save for a chemist and presumably the Coles and Woolworths further up the building.
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As a first born child I am predisposed to follow the rules and owing to my belief set I am also predisposed to follow the rules, including when they are inconvenient, annoying and quite frankly, harsh. The rules in this case, exist for the protection of people's lives. That doesn't prevent me from opening up the teleology of those rules.
It seems sensible me that there should be a lockdown if the virus is transmitted by an airborne aerosol pathway. It also seems sensible to me that there will be people who are unlucky and have to bear the cost of fighting a war against the unseen enemy of the virus. It also seems sensible to me that because people are selfish and can not be trusted to follow the rules, that there needs to be enforcement of those rules.
I also think that having fluffed the job of containment in the eastern suburbs, the NSW State Government needs to be seen to be doing something and that means putting police helicopters in the sky and a visible police presence on the streets. The Federal Government having fluffed its job of border protection, quarantine, and vaccine rollout, also needs to be seen to be doing something and that also means putting army helicopters into the sky. These things are great for PR but ultimately useless in actually solving problem.
The media of course loves it. Army helicopters and officers in fatigues makes for great television and if you also overlay this with a narrative that people aren't following the rules, then the fact that the government hasn't adequately done its job can be ignored; which is fine if the government happens to be your favorable political football team.
In the case of Federal Government, announcing that you are sending in the Army (300 personnel) is also great way to be seen to be doing something.
However:
https://www.army.gov.au/our-news/army-exercises-alerts/australian-defence-force-training-new-south-wales-july-december-2021
"Australian Defence Force personnel will conduct maritime counter-terrorism training in Sydney Harbour and New South Wales coastal waters from the Central Coast to Jervis Bay from July to December 2021."
The training will be conducted during the day and night.
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The thing that really amuses me is this:
"This essential training is vital to maintain Australia’s world-class military capability. It is not a part of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 response. The training is being conducted in a manner that accounts for COVID-19 restrictions and good health management processes."
The fact that this paragraph needed to be included looks more like a wink and a nod by a magician who is conducting a game of Three Card Monte. It is easy to look like you are doing something when you have already allocated resources to a similar project.
It would of course be far more effective to be actually doing something rather than merely to be seen to be doing something. That would require actual effort to fully vaccinate the population until herd immunity is reached. Until then though, to be seen to be doing something is about as best as we can hope for and the helicopters will continue until morale improves.
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