All you can be trusted to know about the POTUS visit

The FAQ from Dad’s Army is indeed interesting from the vagueness point of view.

More disturbing though is the waste of taxpayers money, our money, producing this irrelevant drivel. Especially concerning is the complete lack of accountability with the reference to overtime and the source of additional funds not coming from the ACT government. The sooner these wasters realise it is taxpayers money wherever it is wasted from the better.

I reckon Obama will do just fine without them.

harvyk1 said :

It is very light on info, basically nothing more than what a reasonable person could have guessed if they thought about it….

+1 I don’t even know why they bothered.

creative_canberran said :

Ernie said :

No 24/7 fighter jets overhead this time? I’d like to get a peek but it might be impossible.

Super Hornets will escort Air Force One in to land and then remain on station for the duration of the visit. For the most part, I think it’s all show. While it’s not unusual for the motorcades to be shadowed by helicopters, I don’t see a fighter jet being much use. That said, a helicopter was doing some training over Civic earlier this week which looked like one of the NSW Police choppers. All in all, could be noisy for a while.

So if you’re flying on the 16th are you (a) very lucky as you’ll get to see Air Force One or (b) a total loser whose flight will be cancelled? For how long before the President arrives would they shut down the airport?

Interesting that there’s no mention about RF jammers been used. When Cheney was in Sydney, they had the motorcade shadowed with an RF jammer that blocked mobile phones and other wireless communications for about a 1km radius. Would be funny if they did use it here, no doubt knocking out all the outside broadcast vehicles signals near Parliament… the visit no one saw would say the headlines.

EvanJames said :

They’ll probably do what they did with the Queen and do quick, rolling road blocks with the police being scheduled by radio. They don’t want folk with guns and pitchforks knowing where they should hang out. And if you want to see the president arrive, remember what they did with Bush, rather than leave via the main Fairbairn access road, they took him across the paddock and let him out onto Majura Road, which thwarted the throng lining Pialligo Avenue to throw rocks or wave flags.

I’m looking forward to those giant grey american planes that carry stuff, they are spectacular.

Not a chance. Routes (there is no singular route, there’s a primary and then alternatives) are locked down hours in advance and checked. The routes remained closed to allow rapid egress. There will be more than one motorcade too, I narrowly missed out been able to join the White House Press core’s one this time.

Ernie said :

No 24/7 fighter jets overhead this time? I’d like to get a peek but it might be impossible.

Super Hornets will escort Air Force One in to land and then remain on station for the duration of the visit. For the most part, I think it’s all show. While it’s not unusual for the motorcades to be shadowed by helicopters, I don’t see a fighter jet being much use. That said, a helicopter was doing some training over Civic earlier this week which looked like one of the NSW Police choppers. All in all, could be noisy for a while.

No 24/7 fighter jets overhead this time? I’d like to get a peek but it might be impossible.

EvanJames said :

They don’t want folk with guns and pitchforks knowing where they should hang out.

That’s easy, the war memorial \ parlament house \ the US embassy and the lodge for good measure…

Lest we forget, the one actual terrorist action on AU soil (Hilton Hotel bombing) was an attack at a destination where VIP’s where gathering, not enroute…

They’ll probably do what they did with the Queen and do quick, rolling road blocks with the police being scheduled by radio. They don’t want folk with guns and pitchforks knowing where they should hang out. And if you want to see the president arrive, remember what they did with Bush, rather than leave via the main Fairbairn access road, they took him across the paddock and let him out onto Majura Road, which thwarted the throng lining Pialligo Avenue to throw rocks or wave flags.

I’m looking forward to those giant grey american planes that carry stuff, they are spectacular.

It is very light on info, basically nothing more than what a reasonable person could have guessed if they thought about it…

Whilst I can understand their desire not to spread loads of information, surely there is a thing or two they could say for example “we suggest you avoid the following roads at these times”.

That would not be a major security risk as anyone who did intend harm (or chaser style jokes) would already have an idea where the POTUS would be at certain times of the day and could already guess what roads a motorcade might go down anyway (and plan accordingly).