THE CHALLENGE OF THE FUTURE SUBMARINE

Radio National Interview, Canberra, 5 November 2009

E&OE

Tony Eastley (Reporter): Often there is a disconnect between what the Government or Navy might want and what they actually get.

The Government concedes it faces huge challenges in replacing its much maligned Collins class submarines with a fleet of 12 new more advanced subs. 

The Navy's plan to build the subs could cost up to $36 billion according to some reports.

The Opposition wonders if  the plan is realistic given the Navy currently has trouble keeping more than two Collins class submarines in the water at at a time, and the difficulties the Navy has in trying to find submariners to staff the subs.

Timothy McDonald reports.

Timothy McDonald (Reporter): The Minister for Defence Personnel, Material and Science, Greg Combet is under no illusions about just how complicated a submarine can be.

Greg Combet (Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science): For example each Collins class sub has over 3,800,000 parts to it, 75 kilometres of cable, 200,000...

Timothy McDonald:  And therein lies the problem. Such sophisticated machinery is hugely expensive, difficult to crew and equally difficult to maintain.

Last night Greg Combet told the Sydney Institute he's aware the proposal for 12 new subs will be a big ask.

Greg Combet:  The future submarine project is itself perhaps I think fair to say at the margins of our present scientific and technological capacity.

This project, the development of the next generation submarines for the Australian Defence Force for the Navy will require every bit of scientific, technological and industrial capacity that this country can muster.

Timothy McDonald:  But he says the Collins class subs were worth all the headaches, and their proposed replacements will be essential to Australia's defence.

Greg Combet:  Put simply we need to be able to take warfare to an adversary's front door, and submarines are a very important mechanism to achieve that.

Timothy McDonald:  The Opposition wonders if the proposal is overly ambitious, and says the Government is yet to justify doubling the current fleet.

Defence Material spokesman Bob Baldwin says if the Navy can currently only put two submarines to sea at a time then there must be serious questions about its ability to maintain 12.

Bob Baldwin (Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel):  If we can't as a nation establish and maintain more than two submarines at any one time what's going to occur is this Government will go on an expensive folly where we have submarines tied up at the dock and very few put to sea.

Timothy McDonald:  Sean Costello is a former Collins class officer, a defence consultant and co-author of a recent report on the new submarines by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, he agrees a lot needs to change if the submarines are to be delivered.

Sean Costello (Australian Strategic Policy Institute):  Our Navy is presently dissatisfied with the level of availability of submarines, and that's having all sorts of flow throughs for our Navy people and our ability to keep our submarines at the front of their operational capability. So we shouldn't think that we are the world's best at this, we have some serious shortfalls, at least we recognise we have those shortfalls and it looks like the Government's starting to take some moves to remediate those.

Timothy McDonald:  The report he recently authored estimates that the new submarines could cost more than $36 billion, but he says if it's done right it will be worth the hefty price tag.

Sean Costello:  In exchange for a large contract a significant capability would be returned, a capability that would see our Navy be able to contribute to national strategy right through to the year 2050 or thereabouts.

So the numbers are large as is the return on the investment.

Tony Eastley:  Defence consultant Sean Costello. The report from Timothy McDonald.

Media contacts:

Rod Hilton (Greg Combet):                    02 6277 4771 or 0458 276 619

Defence Media Liaison:                         02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664