By David A. Collard
In celebrating the many milestones Scale Facilitation® has surpassed recently, I have been reflecting on one of the catalysts to creating Scale Facilitation®: the ANZUS Paradox.
Over the course of a lifetime, the United States and Australia have achieved extraordinary accomplishments together, united by the ANZUS Treaty.
But in 2020, when the world was devastated by the emergence of the deadly COVID-19 virus, our supply chains failed us. When we needed each other most, we couldn’t help one another. This is the ANZUS Paradox.
As seasons oscillate between the northern and southern hemispheres, Australia and the U.S. have been playing a devastating game of cat and mouse – one country regaining control of cases during summer while the other battles through winter, struggling at the hands of the virus.
This has resulted in peaks and troughs of health and safety products being in oversupply in one country when the virus is at bay, and at the same time, on the other side of the world, the other country faces undersupply while the virus rages - a two-piece puzzle scrambled by 9 thousand miles (15,000 kilometers).
We are two countries that have supported each other for over 70 years, working together to support our shared interests. But somehow, this pandemic highlighted a loose wire in a once stable connection.
Despite the ANZUS Treaty being primarily military, there is no reason why it cannot be extended beyond this, to help our countries unite in other fields. Scale Facilitation® Operations (SFO) is utilizing its Scale Officers – many of whom are Special Operations veterans – to expand the relationship between Australia and the United States.
Both the SFO Scale Officers and Scale Facilitation's® suite of Advisors are working to support bilateral relations so we can cover all our bases and avoid relying on foreign actors – as we’ve seen during the pandemic with personal protective equipment supply chains.
It is strategic for Australia and the United States to have each other’s backs through innovation, technology, provision of raw materials, and Scale Facilitation®. We must fill the gaps and reinforce a bio-bridge between the two countries.
Through our re-open.com platform and other affiliated companies, Scale Facilitation® is bridging the gap between the two countries and becoming an exemplar of the success Australia and the United States can share when we work together.
We must learn from the past, from the devastation of this pandemic, to come back stronger, smarter, and safer.