As the sun set across the Garramilla/Darwin waterfront on April 29, protesters gathered outside the venue where multinational arms dealer and weapons manufacturer Thales was hosting drinks with defence, industry and government leaders.
Some were dressed as Thales stooges, in suits and fake blood, while chanting and holding placards against war and AUKUS.
About 50 people, mainly white men, milled around the company’s main display — the Thales Bushmaster armoured vehicle. Thales holds extensive business ties to Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elbit Systems. The drinks were marketed as “a rare opportunity to build influential relationships and play an active role in shaping future opportunities in the Northern Territory”.
With Elbit, Thales own a subsidiary company UAV Tactical Systems, which make killer drones based on Elbit’s Hermes model. These are marketed as being “combat-proven”, meaning used in Gaza.
The Thales/IAI partnership has produced the Sea Serpent, a surface-to-surface guided missile with a kill range of 200 kilometres, also “battle-proven” in Gaza.
Thales operates throughout Australia. Bushmaster vehicles, manufactured in Bendigo, are then sold to the Indonesian special forces KOPASSUS, known for committing human rights violations in occupied West Papua.
The Mulwala facility in NSW manufactures military propellants used in missiles and explosives, while the Benalla facility in Victoria produces 155-millimetre M795 bombs.
Thales is one of the prime weapons corporations set to profit from the AUKUS military pact. It is part of the AUKUS Combat Systems Collaborative Team, an alliance of military companies providing sophisticated sonar/sensor systems for submarines.
In Garramilla, Thales services navy ships; its office is located on Level 5 in the Harbour View Plaza. Local organisers say Thales is not welcome in the community, or the NT.
Social events, such as the drinks, serve as an opportunity to showcase how willing all governments are to make NT a sacrifice zone.
The government is keen for Darwin to become the staging post for any United States’ war in the Asia Pacific. At one point, a Thales spokesman gave a special shout out to the US marines and lauded the “exciting times ahead”. It was enough to chill the warm evening air.
