This also happens in other countries. Recently there was a submission in the USA supporting Israel and it was signed by no less than these military celebrities below:
Rear Admiral Charles Beers, USN (ret.)
General William Begert, USAF (ret.)
Rear Admiral Stanley W. Bryant, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant General Anthony Burshnick, USAF (ret.)
Lieutenant General Paul Cerjan, USA (ret.)
Admiral Leon Edney, USN (ret.)
Brigadier General William F. Engel, USA (ret.)
Major General Bobby Floyd, USAF (ret.)
Major General Paul Fratarangelo, USMC (ret.)
Major General David Grange, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Tom Griffin, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Earl Hailston, USMC (ret.)
Lieutenant General John Hall, USAF (ret.)
General Alfred Hansen, USAF (ret.)
Rear Admiral James Hinkle, USN (ret.)
General Hal Hornburg, USAF (ret.)
Major General James T. Jackson, USA (ret.)
Admiral Jerome Johnson, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Herb Kaler, USN (ret.)
Vice Admiral Bernard Kauderer, USN (ret.)
General William F. Kernan, USA (ret.)
Major General Homer Long, USA (ret.)
Major General Jarvis Lynch, USMC (ret.)
General Robert Magnus, USMC (ret.)
Lieutenant General Charles May, Jr., USAF (ret.)
Vice Admiral Martin Mayer, USN (ret.)
Major General Fred McCorkle, USMC (ret.)
Rear Admiral Mark Milliken, USN (ret.)
Major General William Moore, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Carol Mutter, USMC (ret.)
Major General Larry T. Northington, USAF (ret.)
Lieutenant General Tad Oelstrom, USAF (ret.)
Major General James D. Parker, USA (ret.)
Vice Admiral J. T. Parker, USN (ret.)
Major General Robert Patterson, USAF (ret.)
Vice Admiral James Perkins, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Brian Peterman, USCG (ret.)
Lieutenant General Alan V. Rogers, USAF (ret.)
Rear Admiral Richard Rybacki, USCG (ret.)
General Crosbie Saint, USA (ret.)
Rear Admiral Norm Saunders, USCG (ret.)
Major General Sid Shachnow, USA (ret.)
Rear Admiral Jeremy Taylor, USN (ret.)
Major General Larry Taylor, USMCR (ret.)
Lieutenant General Lanny Trapp, USAF (ret.)
Vice Admiral Jerry O. Tuttle, USN (ret.)
General Louis Wagner, USA (ret.)
Rear Admiral Thomas Wilson, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Winglass, USMC (ret.)
Rear Admiral Guy Zeller, USN (ret.)
http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/news/?p=5412
Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson, a Baptist minister and cricket chaplain, who has been a media commentator for over thirty years, wonders whether this has any affect?
He surmises there are several ways in which to respond to this question, but that the two most likely are as follows:
First, the government of the day has a policy in place, they've already gone through the pros and cons, heard the expert analysis, considered the politic, recognise the history and have dealt their cards, come what may.
Second, they take serious comments under advisement, re-examine relevant aspects of their policy, they might even consult further, and in the end, there might be a minor adjustment to some aspect of their position.
M V Tronson says policy changes sought by such published statements generally comes with a change of government or when some calamity occurs.
He cites two examples, first one from Australia and the second, one from the US.
First, when the 1972 Labor Government under Gough Whitlam was elected to power, not only did conscription cease as did Australia's part in the Vietnam War, but in his community as occurred all over Australia, young men who had been conscripted, the day after the election, walked out of barracks and returned home without any paper work completed or permission.
Second, the US example, was that of 9/11, where so many warnings had been misread or ignored of Islamist terrorist threats by so many high profile people, that when it did happen, the policy changed overnight.
Therefore, in M V Tronson's view, such political statements shows that democracy is alive and well along with feelings of mother hood and apple pie; but real change only happens when the politics change, and the means whereby that occurs comes through any number of circumstances.
What then of Christian organisations that Politically Lobby? M V Tronson says they are critical and without exception essential to retain a strong democracy and hold accountable those elected to office 'for us all'.