Defining Australia’s submarine fleet

The 2009 Australian Government Defence Whitepaper discusses the effectiveness of submarines in our defence and an expansion of the RAN submarine fleet. But will the right decisions be made about boat class, capability and procurement this time?
Many whitepaper submissions called for a much larger submarine fleet, pointing to both the efficiency of boats in their influence over opposing forces and the land sea strike capability of new generation vessels.
But of course, this cuts both ways. Other nations within our region, and globally, are actively acquiring submarines. Indeed, Andrew Davies of the Australian Strategic Policy Unit commented “I just make the observation that submarines work both ways: they will be very effective for Australia, but they will be very effective for other countries as well. Australia must get better at Anti-Submarine Warfare. In a region that is acquiring boats at an impressive rate, our current moribund state of ASW is not going to be adequate to allow us to pursue naval operation - or not with any degree of confidence. I just make the observation that an ASW-capable naval helicopter would be a very good start in this respect.”
In short, Australia needs to find her own way. And do so well. In the past we’ve looked to defence partnerships, particularly our strong relationship with the US, in acquiring vessels that form part of a wider, overarching strategy. This approach has left Australia, with one of the world’s longest coastlines, spread thinly with appropriate submarines for our particular and unique defence needs.
Nowhere is this more apparent that the Collins Class submarine acquisition disaster. After many years and with only one of six vessels operational, the procurement procedure itself is questionable.
However, the wider issues as to the suitability, potential use and lifespan of these boats in an emerging global political and defence environment should have been the obvious driving force. For the future, Australia simply cannot ignore the world we’ve known for over 100 years is changing. And as the balance of power shifts to a much less predictable status-quo, our defence capability is more important than ever.
Michael Melville Kirwan