Page 106 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec-Jan 2023

106 FUTURE ACQUISITIONS
DECEMBER 2022-JANUARY 2023 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
“That brings with it unprecedented responsibilities to steward, protect and operate this capability safely and in a manner that upholds our obligations under the non-pro- liferation treaty,” he said. “The work we are doing is much more than just identifying the boat we’ll acquire. Clearly, we’re also focussed on ensuring Australia has a workforce with the necessary skills to build, operate, sustain conven- tionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines.”
This is what VADM Mead refers to as a “nuclear mindset” and it will require a great deal of investment to maintain over and beyond the cost of the submarines themselves. How this will all play out with regard to the defence budget over coming years (and decades) is something else that re- mains to be seen.
LAND 400
The elephant in Army’s room however is the long-awaited decision on its plans to acquire infantry fighting vehicles un- der Land 400 Phase 3.
These plans received a set- back in the middle of the year when the government advised the two primes bidding for the program – Hanwha Defense
ABOVE: A 37 Squadron C-130J-30 Hercules taxis
in the Mount Bundey Training Area, NT during Exercise Diamond Storm 2022
RIGHT ABOVE: The new Australian Signals Directorate cyber and foreign intelligence facility in Canberra
RIGHT BELOW: Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS North Carolina returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam from deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility
3 would be ‘ringfenced’ by the government and be excluded from the review; but these hopes were publicly dashed on 25 November by a media release from Minister for De- fence Industry Pat Conroy.
Conroy said the government will consider the findings of the DSR before it makes any decision on the Land 400/3 tender and that the review will “make recommendations on priorities for investing in Australia’s defence capability and posture, to meet the nation’s security challenges over the next decade and beyond.”
“I would like to thank Hanwha Defense Australia, Rhe- inmetall Defence Australia and the many other companies involved in this tender process for their understanding and professionalism,” he said.
“The Government remains focused on Australia’s future defence capability. We don’t want to pre-empt the findings of the review, which is especially critical given the rapidly changing strategic circumstances facing our nation.”
It would seem therefore that the next few months will be an anxious wait for Army, as well as the two prime bidders and their attendant supply chains.
“THE ELEPHANT IN EVERYONE’S ROOM OF COURSE IS NAVY’S QUEST TO REPLACE ITS ELDERLY COLLINS-CLASS SUBMARINES WITH AT LEAST EIGHT NUCLEAR- POWERED BOATS”
Australia and Rheinmetall Defence Australia – to submit their bids based upon the supply of 300 vehicles, rather than the expected 450.
Army was already concerned that the program – which it considers an essential component of its Combined Arms concept – would be adversely affected by the priorities of the DSR. Despite this, it had hoped that Land 400 Phase
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