Navy chief says patience, tradies needed to keep AUKUS submarine program afloat

Critics have labelled Australia’s program to build a fleet of submarines too ambitious but the chief of the Navy disagrees.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles at the opening of the Indo Pacific 2023 Maritime Expo, the largest international military trade show ever held in Australia. Picture: Supplied

Australia’s maritime security will be anchored by the most advanced technology “known to humanity” but the public needs patience and more tradies and sailors to help make it a reality.

Royal Australian Navy chief Vice Admiral Mark Hammond was referring to the Australian industry program to build and deploy a nuclear-powered submarine by 2032.

The AUKUS security pact that will deliver the top secret technology for Australia to build a fleet of the submarines has come under fire with critics declaring it too ambitious, too expensive and beyond Australian capabilities.

But ADM Hammond disagreed, saying Australia has built a submarine before with the Collins class, and will do so again – notwithstanding the challenges around skill recruitment in a tight job market.

Vice Admiral Mark Hammond opening the Indo Pacific 2023 Maritime Expo. Picture: Supplied

ADM Hammond was speaking at the opening of the Indo Pacific 2023 Maritime Expo, the largest international military trade show ever held in Australia with more than 800 exhibitors of the latest weaponry and technology, and military representatives from more than 40 nations.

“The submarine program is a strategic program, with strategic capabilities and it needs strategic priority and strategic resourcing but the biggest challenge for our nation is strategic patience,” he said.

“While we are transparent about embracing all of the challenges that come with this program, let’s not lose sight of the fact we have done this before, on a different scale I acknowledge, a slightly different challenge, but the biggest thing is the strategic patience part.

“We will make progress, it will be incremental but also foundational and ultimately … we should derive confidence from the past and have some confidence in Australian industry and our partners.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles, who toured the huge expo on Tuesday, agreed the bad press was wrong and the government and its American and British partners were committed and focused on the program.

Defence Minister Richard Marles toured the huge expo. Pictured with Vice Admiral Mark Hammond. Picture: Supplied

“This will be one of the most significant industry endeavours in our country’s history, getting on to produce and manufacture a nuclear powered submarine is a massive endeavour. These are the most complex machines known to humanity,” he said in a joint discussion with ADM Hammond.

Mr Marles, who has recently returned from the UK and US for high-level AUKUS talks, agreed there were challenges with the workforce and creating the physical infrastructure to enable manufacturing, primarily at Osborne in South Australia, but he had “enormous confidence” industry could see it through.

“What is clear to me from the United States and United Kingdom is the degree to which both those countries see it in their strategic long term interest that Australia has this capability,” he said.

Forty nations are in attendance at the expo and conferences but China is not represented, having not been invited.

Originally published as Navy chief says patience, tradies needed to keep AUKUS submarine program afloat