In his wide ranging address to the ADM2012 Congress this week Defence Minister Stephen Smith covered Defence's operational commitments, including support during natural disasters, the progress of equipment projects, departmental accountability and capability and procurement reform.
In regard to the last he said the Coles Review would play an important role in the development of the Future Submarine Project, including the need to take a long term view of maintenance and sustainment of the Future Submarine from the outset of the project.
He said the government was committed to acquiring 12 new Future Submarines, to be assembled in South Australia and that the Future Submarine project would be the largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia, and made the following points:
- Options for the Future Submarine range from a proven fully Military off the shelf design through to a completely new submarine. All options are being considered, other than nuclear propulsion which the government has ruled out.
- Last month the government had approved the release of Requests for Information to three overseas submarine designers, and Defence had entered into a contract with Babcock for a study into a land-based propulsion site. In addition then Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare and he had announced the development of a Future Submarine Industry Skills plan.
- At the Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations in Melbourne in November 2010, Australia and the United States agreed that Australian-United States cooperation on submarine systems was strategically important for both countries. The high level of submarine interoperability between Australia and the United States and our technical cooperation will extend into Future Submarine acquisition program.
- Because the submarines will be constructed over the course of the next three decades, there is a risk of a capability gap between the retirement of the Collins submarines and entry into service of the Future Submarines. But the end of the life of the Collins submarines are not yet known and, as Warren King said on his appointment, a modified off the shelf design submarine could be in operational service within a decade.
- The government will consider the Future Submarine project early this year and announcements will follow in due course. The lessons learnt from the challenges we have faced in the past, and the outcomes from the Rizzo and Coles reviews, will be applied to future acquisitions and future sustainment, not just heavy amphibious lift or submarines.