Americans love a sheep dog breed known as the "Aussie Shepherd". Spend time in the US, and you'll meet them everywhere. A lively, fluffy-looking herder claimed to have partly originated from antipodean imports to California in the 19th century. The name is striking because you don't really see them here. There's no way to know for sure, but I'd wager a few of these popular pets will soon be coming "home". Specifically among families of the some 1,000 US military personnel moving to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. So serious were the Americans about getting settled into their AUKUS deployment their officials were busy a year ago negotiating quarantine arrangements for US submariners' dogs.
美国人喜爱一种名为“澳洲牧羊犬”的牧羊犬品种。在美国待久了，你到处都能见到它们。这种活泼、毛茸茸的牧犬据称部分起源于19世纪从澳大拉西亚（Antipodes）进口到加州的血统。这个名字颇具讽刺意味，因为在这里（澳大利亚）你其实很少见到它们。虽然无法确证，但我敢打赌，这些受欢迎的宠物很快就要“回家”了。具体来说，是随着约1000名美军人员迁往西澳大利亚的斯特林海军基地（HMAS Stirling），他们的家庭也将随之搬迁。美国人对于在AUKUS框架下部署定居一事极为认真，以至于一年前，美方官员就在忙着为美国潜艇兵的爱犬协商检疫安排。
A level of constructive ambiguity. The question for these mutts, triggered by this week's misty verbal bouillon of bollocks over how enduring America's presence will be, is whether they'll enjoy a lengthy stay frolicking on Perth's southern beaches or merely a temporary posting. My bet is some could end up enjoying a long and happy retirement here. That's because we've now been informed that their owners' presence on Australian soil will be "enduring". The core of this question sits in the shroud of double-speak that afflicts so many things related to defence and AUKUS. A charitable interpretation is that Industry Minister Pat Conroy's repeated insistence in his interview this week from Washington DC with 7.30's Sarah Ferguson that the US submarine presence will effectively end in the early 2030s is because he wants to maintain a level of constructive ambiguity. Henry Kissinger is said to have coined the term, which describes how two sides want to disguise the fact they're not on the same page or have differing interpretations of language. Perhaps they have constituents they need to satisfy or mollify. Less flatteringly, he misspoke. Perhaps it was the jet lag. Either way, he went on to make similar remarks to other media outlets.
建设性模糊。对于这些“土狗”（mutts）而言，本周围绕美国驻留“持久性”问题展开的这场充满废话（bollocks）的迷雾般言论盛宴，引发了一个疑问：它们是在珀斯南部海滩尽情嬉戏的长期居留，还是仅仅短期派驻？我押注它们中的一些最终会在这里享受漫长而幸福的退休生活。因为我们现已获悉，其主人的存在将被定义为“持久”的。这一问题的核心笼罩在AUKUS及防务相关事务中常见的“双重话语”（double-speak）迷雾中。一种善意的解读是，工业部长帕特·康罗伊（Pat Conroy）本周在华盛顿接受《7.30》节目记者莎拉·弗格森采访时，反复坚持美国潜艇存在将在2030年代初“实际上结束”，是为了维持一种“建设性模糊”。据说亨利·基辛格创造了这个词，用来描述双方如何掩饰彼此并未达成共识或对语言有不同解读的事实。也许他们需要安抚各自的选民。但更不客气的说法是，他说错了话，也许是时差所致。无论如何，他随后向其他媒体发表了类似言论。
Conroy told The Australian that the Submarine Rotational Force-West agreement, which will see up to four US Virginia-class boats operate from HMAS Stirling next year, would begin "fading away" as Australia began to operate its own nuclear-powered boats. Conroy added the US was likely to retain a submarine presence in Australia, but that would be a decision for future governments. His remarks left everyone scratching their heads, even AUKUS diehards. Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson accused Conroy of issuing the US Navy with an eviction notice before they'd even arrived. By Friday there was much mopping up afoot. "The Submarine Rotational Force West at HMAS Stirling is intended to be an enduring feature of America's force posture in Australia," Defence Minister Richard Marles told News24 (formerly Sky News). Conroy himself took to X where he posted a statement — without any official signature or letterhead — agreeing that having Americans in Stirling will be "enduring". While it was all baffling, we do seem to have had a few things reinforced this week. For one thing, Americans will almost certainly "rotate" a future fleet of nuclear-armed submarines through WA facilities in coming decades. Whether they are "based" there or merely in transit will be a matter of semantics. The government wants voters to believe it's not a permanent US base. As Alice noted in her journey through the Wonderland, "one can't believe impossible things". To which the Queen replied: "I dare say you haven't had much practice."
康罗伊告诉《澳大利亚人报》，根据《西部分批潜艇部队协议》，明年最多四艘美国弗吉尼亚级潜艇将在斯特林海军基地运作，但随着澳大利亚开始操作自己的核潜艇，该协议将开始“逐渐消退”。康罗伊补充说，美国可能会在澳大利亚保留潜艇存在，但这将是未来政府的决定。他的言论让所有人摸不着头脑，即便是AUKUS的死忠粉也是如此。反对党国防发言人詹姆斯·帕特森指责康罗伊在美军抵达之前就发出了“驱逐令”。到了周五，各方都在忙着收拾残局。国防部长理查德·马勒斯告诉News24（原天空新闻）：“斯特林海军基地的西部分批潜艇部队旨在成为美国在澳兵力部署的持久特征。”康罗伊本人也在X平台上发帖声明——没有任何官方签名或信头——同意美国人在斯特林的存在将是“持久的”。虽然这一切令人困惑，但这周我们确实强化了一些认知。首先，未来几十年内，美国人几乎肯定会通过西澳大利亚设施“轮换”一支未来的核武装潜艇舰队。它们究竟是“驻扎”在那里还是仅仅“过境”，纯属语义学问题。政府希望选民相信这并非永久性的美国基地。正如爱丽丝在仙境之旅中所说：“人不能相信不可能的事。”对此红心皇后回答：“我想你还没怎么练习过吧。”
The article’s obsession with 'constructive ambiguity' misses the real coercion: the state’s monopoly on force and funding. Whether the US presence is 'enduring' or 'rotational' is irrelevant if Australian taxpayers are footing the bill for infrastructure that serves foreign strategic interests. This isn't diplomacy; it's a subsidy for the military-industrial complex disguised as national security. The 'double-speak' isn't just confusing—it's a mechanism to bypass democratic consent for permanent militarization.
文章对“建设性模糊”的痴迷完全忽略了真正的强制力：国家对暴力和资金的垄断。美国的存在是“持久”还是“轮换”无关紧要，只要澳大利亚纳税人仍在为服务于外国战略利益的基建买单。这根本不是外交，而是以国家安全为幌子，给军工复合体提供补贴的变相行为。这种“双重话语”不仅令人困惑，更是绕过民主共识、实现永久军事化的机制。