Australian Defence Discussion

[IFocus]

The sovereign risk around the AUKUS nuclear subs is pretty clear the cost is extreme and will get more so.

Rex Patrick has been damming about the deal, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other but the time frame screams extreme risk.

Rex Patrick on AUKUS submarines: “an astonishingly bad deal”​

Looking at the AUKUS plan, which some are now labelling USUKA [pronounced “you sucker”] after Paul Keating called it “the worst deal in all history,” Australia will initially acquire three second-hand but proven and highly capable Virginia Class submarines, but then jump off that safe pathway to a high-risk program involving a country that has a track record of being late, and over budget, on its past and current submarine programs.

It’s just reckless.

Rex Patrick on AUKUS submarines: "an astonishingly bad deal" - Michael West

The Defence Dept has outdone itself with the AUKUS submarines. not just with the $386 bill price tag, but with the form the program is taking

michaelwest.com.au

 

[wayneL]

The sovereign risk around the AUKUS nuclear subs is pretty clear the cost is extreme and will get more so.

Rex Patrick has been damming about the deal, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other but the time frame screams extreme risk.

Rex Patrick on AUKUS submarines: “an astonishingly bad deal”​

Looking at the AUKUS plan, which some are now labelling USUKA [pronounced “you sucker”] after Paul Keating called it “the worst deal in all history,” Australia will initially acquire three second-hand but proven and highly capable Virginia Class submarines, but then jump off that safe pathway to a high-risk program involving a country that has a track record of being late, and over budget, on its past and current submarine programs.

It’s just reckless.

Rex Patrick on AUKUS submarines: "an astonishingly bad deal" - Michael West

The Defence Dept has outdone itself with the AUKUS submarines. not just with the $386 bill price tag, but with the form the program is taking

michaelwest.com.au

"It’s not going to deliver a capability within an even remotely sensible time frame either to help deter, let alone fight in, the very conflict Defence purports we need it for."

This is what immediately crossed my mind when both this, and the French deal were done.

 

[frugal.rock]

Very busy around Richmond today.

Can anyone tell me what breed this is?
Bit off topic, but FMG was busy.

 

[wayneL]

Very busy around Richmond today.

View attachment 161267 Can anyone tell me what breed this is?

I see a few of these around Pearce Airbase.... A fair bit of my work is actually within 2-5 km.

It was almost always trainers for us and the Singapore Air Force here, but noticing a lot more activity with fair dinkum fighters; Lightnings and Super Hornets and whatnot.

Everyone is noticing.

 

[Sean K]

It's all about priorities and we have been exercising a lot and doing quite a bit in SE and E Asia recently, so I guess a line needs to be drawn somewhere. But, Shoebridge is right to ask 'where is the $50b going each year', when we don't have a ship to send on a mission like this. It's pretty embarrassing really.

 

[Sean K]

I'm really embarrassed about this. FFS, Maldives, which is an Islamist country, is sending a boat.

 

[wayneL]

I'm really embarrassed about this. FFS, Maldives, which is an Islamist country, is sending a boat.

Al the money spent on rainbow lapels and sex change surgeries I guess?

 

[sptrawler]

Australia is to increase its contribution to the middle East.

MSN

Australia will triple its contribution of navy personnel to the Middle East in a bid to safeguard shipping lanes through the Red Sea.

There’s also been official confirmation that Australia will not send a warship to the region.

“We won’t be sending a ship or a plane – that said, we will be almost tripling our contribution to Combined Maritime Force,” Defence Minister Richard Marles told Sky News Australia.
“We need to be really clear around our strategic focus.”

Australia will deploy up to six additional ADF staff officers to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, and in 2024, the total number of personnel embedded in CMF headquarters will double to approximately 10.

 

[Knobby22]

Australia is to increase its contribution to the middle East.

MSN

Australia will triple its contribution of navy personnel to the Middle East in a bid to safeguard shipping lanes through the Red Sea.

There’s also been official confirmation that Australia will not send a warship to the region.

“We won’t be sending a ship or a plane – that said, we will be almost tripling our contribution to Combined Maritime Force,” Defence Minister Richard Marles told Sky News Australia.
“We need to be really clear around our strategic focus.”

Australia will deploy up to six additional ADF staff officers to the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, and in 2024, the total number of personnel embedded in CMF headquarters will double to approximately 10.

Good. We have enough stuff in the middle east already.

This is to protect sea lanes for the European trade. They should be the ones risking their ships. Would they help in the South Pacific?

We only have 3 cruisers and if there was an incident we need all of them.

Standard navy capability is one in the region, one travelling back and one ready to replace.

 

[rcw1]

Very busy around Richmond today.

View attachment 161267 Can anyone tell me what breed this is?
Bit off topic, but FMG was busy.

@frugal.rock
That would be a C17

Hope you had a good Xmas

Kind regards
Rcw

 

[Dona Ferentes]

I'm really embarrassed about this. FFS, Maldives, which is an Islamist* country, ..

I'm not. ln all likelihood, the RAAF E-7A Wedgetail aircraft now with NATO was the aloft coordinator for the Ukrainians that downed 3 x SU34 over Kherson last week.

*Islamic, btw

 

[Dona Ferentes]

I'm not. ln all likelihood, the RAAF E-7A Wedgetail aircraft now with NATO was the aloft coordinator for the Ukrainians that downed 3 x SU34 over Kherson last week.

*Islamic, btw

The E-7A Wedgetail is operating from Germany and will not enter the airspace of Ukraine, Russia or Belarus. Its highly effective radar systems will scan for any possible missile launches from hundreds of kilometres inside Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

... the Wedgetail, built into a Boeing 737 airframe, was an Australian idea, built to Australian specifications to meet an Australian requirement. Boeing and Northrop Grumman in the US fitted the radar and the UK’s BAE Systems the electronic-warfare system.

Editors’ picks for 2023: ‘How the Australian E-7A Wedgetail went from on the edge to cutting edge’ | The Strategist

Originally published on 7 November 2023. In September 2014, a RAAF E-7A Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft arrived in the Middle East to join the war against the Islamic State terror group. Soon after ...

www.aspistrategist.org.au

 

[SirRumpole]

"Ghost Bat" drone gets a funding increase.

Funding boost for lethal Ghost Bat drone project as ADF examines more uncrewed technology

A locally designed combat drone will receive a significant funding boost as the Australian Defence Force works to catch up with rapid advances in lethal unmanned technology across the world.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Dona Ferentes]

"Ghost Bat" drone gets funding increase

" catch up with rapid advances in lethal unmanned technology "

the rate of adaption and innovation, in current hot zones around the world, is far oustripping anything our 'top down' approach and effort can come up with.

 

[SirRumpole]

Australian ship building set for a re-vamp ?

Promises, plans and delays: A short history of major naval shipbuilding programs

South Australia's defence sector, particularly shipbuilding, has been repeatedly spruiked as an economic boon and a pathway to long term prosperity, particularly in the wake of the demise of the automotive industry — but will what was promised actually be delivered?

www.abc.net.au

 

[Dona Ferentes]

telling it like it (sadly) is...

. Probably a good primer for the Australian Dept of Defence whose few drone programs are restricted to small numbers of exquisitely expensive aerial and naval platforms

 

[Sean K]

I thought this would just be an Anglo / Five Eyes thing but I'm very happy Japan are interested. India, please join. Where the hell is Canada?

Defence Minister Richard Marles will within days have talks with his US and British counterparts on expanding the membership of AUKUS’s ‘Pillar II’, which is focused on hypersonics, AI and autonomous systems, quantum computing, advanced cyber capabilities and electronic warfare.

The move, reported initially by Britain’s Financial Times, comes despite concerns among AUKUS members that Tokyo does not yet have sufficient security arrangements in place to prevent the theft of sensitive technology.

Further details are expected when US President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Wednesday, when they are due to cement the biggest upgrade to the US-Japan security alliance since the 1960s.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will travel to Washington DC this week for talks on the AUKUS submarine program with US defence officials and industry partners.

 

[SirRumpole]

I thought this would just be an Anglo / Five Eyes thing but I'm very happy Japan are interested. India, please join. Where the hell is Canada?


View attachment 174250


Defence Minister Richard Marles will within days have talks with his US and British counterparts on expanding the membership of AUKUS’s ‘Pillar II’, which is focused on hypersonics, AI and autonomous systems, quantum computing, advanced cyber capabilities and electronic warfare.

The move, reported initially by Britain’s Financial Times, comes despite concerns among AUKUS members that Tokyo does not yet have sufficient security arrangements in place to prevent the theft of sensitive technology.

Further details are expected when US President Joe Biden hosts Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Wednesday, when they are due to cement the biggest upgrade to the US-Japan security alliance since the 1960s.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy will travel to Washington DC this week for talks on the AUKUS submarine program with US defence officials and industry partners.

I'm not too keen about India joining AUKUS, the country has leadership problems in my opinion, Modi is a bit of a risk.

Sure he can stir up a crowd that says they love him but his authoritarianism is stoking problems in India and could be risky down the track if he suddenly departs. Japan is fine as they have stable government.

 

[Sean K]

I'm not too keen about India joining AUKUS, the country has leadership problems in my opinion, Modi is a bit of a risk.

Sure he can stir up a crowd that says they love him but his authoritarianism is stoking problems in India and could be risky down the track if he suddenly departs. Japan is fine as they have stable government.

Agree on India. They were incredible in WW1 and 2 but after independance have tried to go solo. They don't have much need to choose sides due to their geography. The only reason they might change to be more positive West is water. China took Tibet to control water from India. A very, very smart long term strategic move. A failure of India and they should have stopped it. It's worth investigating to understand cunning grand strategic planning from the CCP.

 

[SirRumpole]

New missile for the RAN.

'Major milestone' as Australian Navy tests out its new Naval Strike Missile during US-hosted military exercises

The test was conducted at the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, hosted by the United States off the coast of Hawaii.

www.abc.net.au