One of the Royal Australian Navy's Collins-class submarines.
Posted on 12/26/2007 12:48:00 PM PST by naturalman1975
AUSTRALIA will invest billions of dollars in a new hi-tech submarine fleet and air force as the Pacific region increasingly becomes a geo-political hot spot.
Australia's six existing Royal Navy Collins-class submarines will be retired in 2025, by which time defence experts say the Pacific will be a crucible of competitive global power.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said he had ordered the planning of a new generation of submarines to replace the Collins fleet.
"We've always been (militarily) superior to our neighbours to the north, but South-East Asian countries have developed and grown their wealth and now have access to better technologies," he said.
"We need to start planning now; in fact, we should have started planning a year ago.
"Crucial to Australia's defences is the protection of air-sea approaches to the north.
"To do that comprehensively and sufficiently, we need to have air-combat superiority and, of course, submarine superiority," he said.
The new fleet would be a financial boon for local industries, especially Australia's only submarine manufacturer, based in Adelaide, Mr Fitzgibbon said.
Defence experts believe the new subs will cost at least $25 billion over the next 20 years.
Prof Ross Babbage, chairman of the Kokoda Foundation, said Australia needed new submarines to counter economic and political expansion in countries including China, Indonesia, Korea and India.
"We're talking about a new paradigm for Australian security. We summarise it as 'learning to walk amongst giants'," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Going ‘down-under’.
If they put a bunch of aussy ladies on them I’m sure they would have plenty of volunteers.
Back when I was in the Silent Service, the Aussies used to fill their torpedo tubes with cans of Foster’s. Not great for military preparedness, but wonderful for morale!
The Aussies had BETTER get ready for the rise of Red China as a naval power. I’m afraid the US is not doing enough.
Some evidence that the new Labor government isn’t of the wacked-out leftist variety...on this issue at least.
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