Page 14 - Australian Defence Magazine Nov 2018
P. 14

NEWS REVIEW
SIA
New subs vital for national security
SUBMARINE INSTITUTE OF AUSTRALIA | CANBERRA
there is no gap in Australia’s sovereign sub- marine capability over the next 40 years, we would encourage all relevant stakeholders to continue to work together to ensure the SPA is concluded. Among other things, the agreement should help avoid the issues with intellectual property which arose during the Collins class submarines program.
For those who have chosen to criticise the investment in the Future Submarines, we would urge them to look to the instability to Australia’s region of interest as one of the major reasons why submarines are so im- portant to preserving and enhancing Aus- tralia’s national security. It should be appre- ciated that the strategic effects of Australia’s submarine force represent the best value for money as a deterrence measure. Yes, govern- ment spending deserves public scrutiny, but any suggestion that the investment in new submarines is not justified is uninformed, and is flatly rejected by the SIA.
IT is not a surprise that any major govern- ment spending program attracts a high level of public scrutiny (including media coverage).
In this context, it is to be expected that the Future Submarine Program has and will continue to attract high-profile nation- al (and international) attention. The figures cited for the acquisition phase of the project are that it is predicted to cost the Australian Government $50 billion and given sustain- ment and maintenance is at least as much as the acquisition of any project, a conservative estimate of the total cost of the program is at least $100 billion.
A speaker at the recent Goldrick Seminar pointed out the significance of such large figures in defence projects whereby using the acquisition cost alone, if this figure was to differ by 10 per cent, it would represent a $5
billion variation, twice what the new Royal Adelaide Hospital cost. The SIA has and will continue to strongly advocate for investment in submarines. We will continue to empha- sise that keeping Australians safe in a rapidly evolving strategic environment should be one of the Government’s highest priorities.
The process of the Australian Government and Naval Group agreeing on a Strategic Partnering Agreement (SPA) for the Future Submarines has created public debate. It is important for the program that this agree- ment is finalised and signed as soon as pos- sible, but it should also be properly done. It is a critical document which requires intense focus, given it will be in force for such a long time. The SIA acknowledges the design and mobilisation contract for the program was signed some time ago, but to help ensure
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14 | November 2018 | www.australiandefence.com.au


































































































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