Do you remember when the biggest thing in life for a four-year-old was a Matchbox car or a Tonka Truck?
And do you remember the secret conversations via jam tins connected by a piece of string?
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Well, I can tell you life has certainly moved on from making billy carts out of fruit boxes and old pram wheels. Last weekend I was entranced watching Charlie's grandson Addison unwrap a very special birthday present – an inflatable Star Wars BB-8.
"A what?" asks Louise. "My brother had a BB gun but it wasn't a blow-up one."
![The Sphero BB-8 Droid from Star Wars.](/web/20161101163824im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/t/k/7/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gscj8m.png/1477800647199.jpg)
"You're such a '60's book worm," says Charlie. "It's a globally merchandised digital model robot range from the latest Star Wars film."
BB great?
In fact, retailers tell us, "based on your interactions, BB-8 will show a range of expressions and perk up when you give voice commands. Watch it explore autonomously, guide BB-8 yourself, or create and view holographic recordings. BB-8 is more than a toy – it's your companion."
Sounds complicated? Not for a modern-day four-year-old.
Addison took no more than three minutes to get control of this cloned film star astromech that had carried out many successful missions for the Resistance on the big screen. But now, under the full control of a four-year-old Melburnian, BB-8 moved swiftly between the dining room chairs and table and straight for Bunk, the 30-kilogram Labrador whose eyes narrowed as the little hero closed in.
![Defence Minister Marise Payne is one of three ministers grasping for the remote control.](/web/20161101163824im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/5/h/k/a/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gscj8m.png/1477800647199.jpg)
It's amazing to see this new generation pick-up digital devices of all kinds so quickly. And in the realm of war game toys, the key technique is the use of a remote control rather than the old back-and-forth-on-the-floor wind-up motion, with that verbalised "vroom vroom" accompaniment.
But I can also tell you it's not that much different in the world of military hardware.
![Illustration: Cathy Wilcox](/web/20161101163824im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/i/5/i/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gscj8m.png/1477800647199.jpg)
Remote control
In terms of mission control, there's not all that much difference between an attack on Bunk and a drone assault in the bad lands of Afghanistan. It's all about remote control.
Watching Addison I was reminded of a dinner I hosted as chairman of the National Gallery. Some of our military top brass were there, as was the then Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill.
War is stupid – why kill the economy?
I quizzed him about a recent big delivery of giant, second-hand tanks from the US that were designed for desert warfare but were so heavy we couldn't get them to the desert where the war was. The minister simply shrugged and said: "Boys and their toys", nodding discreetly towards the defence chiefs present.
But not all the defence battles are overseas. Witness the action in Canberra this past week as three of our ministers of the crown tried to identify who was really in charge of the modern-day wars.
We had the current Minister for Defence Marise Payne – a highly regarded good solid country girl – and the ever-effervescent Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne getting excited in furious and unconvincing unison with earnest Minister for Defence Personnel Dan Tehan about where one set of responsibilities started and another ended. But our defence chiefs seem to know what they are doing.
Enormous spending
So where is all of this heading? It's one thing for a four-year-old to get a $99.99 robot for his birthday; it's another entirely to try to drive the economy with an eye-watering $200 billion spend on military gear of all kinds.
"That's enormous!" says Charlie.
I still remember the Google conference I went to in the US half a dozen years ago where the great American media owner and CNN founder Ted Turner said: "War is stupid. Why should you go out and kill all your customers?"
"Fair enough," says Charlie.
Now, I'm not a dreamer. Humans have been waging wars for 2000 years and will probably do so for another 2000 years. But there needs to be some balance between government expenditure priorities designed to protect the country and those to protect the economy.
In fact I'd say "war is stupid – why kill the economy?"
But given the realities, there also needs to be a clear understanding of the basics of co-ordination.
While observing Addison playing with his new toy I saw trouble brewing when his two friends arrived for the birthday party. A fundamental reality dawned on me – one that should occur to our three ministers.
If you want to be able to make the best use of your assets you can only ever have one remote control – certainly not three. Just ask Addison!
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