{"id":78916,"date":"2023-04-12T15:33:52","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T05:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=78916"},"modified":"2023-04-13T08:00:43","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T22:00:43","slug":"phased-aukus-plan-will-steadily-build-australias-deterrence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/phased-aukus-plan-will-steadily-build-australias-deterrence\/","title":{"rendered":"Phased AUKUS plan will steadily build Australia\u2019s deterrence"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

The carefully staged AUKUS plan<\/a> to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) will build increased deterrence as each phase is completed, says former Royal Australian Navy chief Tim Barrett.<\/p>\n

\u2018I think the way it\u2019s been described and phased will offer the nation a level of deterrence that builds with each successive phase,\u2019 Barrett tells The Strategist<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Barrett was chief of the RAN from 2011 to 2014. He provides advice to a number of industry organisations and boards.<\/p>\n

Barrett says that during his time as navy chief, it was clear that nuclear power was not an option for Australia\u2019s submarines. Over a relatively short time, there had been a significant shift in Australia\u2019s political environment and in allies\u2019 acceptance of the technical exchange that would enable Australia to go down that path. \u2018I was a little surprised,\u2019 he says, \u2018to wake up with everyone else on 15 September 2021 to hear that at 6.59 am we were a non-nuclear nation, and at 7.01 am, we were a nuclear nation.\u2019<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s changed?<\/p>\n

Barrett says the US and UK decisions to share this technology are based in part on deteriorating strategic circumstances. \u2018It\u2019s not just about considering the platform. It\u2019s the need to manage the threat, which is a growing number of submarines that will operate in our region, and the need to satisfy yourself that you have an ability to react to underwater warfare, should it be required. It\u2019s a big task, and often it\u2019s beyond the capacity of one nation to be able to achieve it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Allies can operate together and share information to ensure integrity of surveillance, he says. \u2018It\u2019s a bit like an underwater air traffic control system. You need to know where everyone is so that when you need to act, you can act appropriately and with the speed that\u2019s necessary. The ability to locate and track, and be available to destroy if needed, is a constant and difficult task to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u2018The task of conducting anti-submarine warfare is huge and it\u2019s not just about submarines, either. It\u2019s about surface ships, aircraft, space-based sensors, seabed arrays, and crewed and uncrewed vessels. It doesn\u2019t surprise me that any nation, even with the capacity of the US, looks at its ability to sustain that level of engagement. They will be constantly looking at their own abilities and the abilities of others to support that task.\u2019<\/p>\n

Barrett says another factor is Australia\u2019s proven ability to build conventionally powered submarines on a greenfield site and operate them successful for decades. The Collins class submarines have \u2018improved measurably our contribution to theatre anti-submarine warfare in this region,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a very capable submarine. And I think the US has probably realised that we are a capable submarine operator.<\/p>\n

\u2018And we have a submarine force that can exploit it to a full extent. We\u2019re not just the owner of submarines; we\u2019re a user of the submarine force. And I think that\u2019s a big distinction among navies. Can we use them effectively? We use them very effectively.\u2019<\/p>\n

Years of close collaboration with the US has convinced it that Australia is a suitable partner to complete this broad-scale, very difficult task, he says.<\/p>\n

Following a plan<\/a> assembled over 18 months by a navy-led but multi-disciplinary taskforce, the program is carefully stepped to build up a potentially lethal deterrent in the region and to get formidable attack submarines into the hands of Australian sailors as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

The US will immediately increase the number of submarine visits to Australian ports and the UK will make regular visits from 2026. While that will establish an SSN presence, it will also provide increasing opportunities for Australia to begin building the industrial capability to service and maintain the boats during their visits.<\/p>\n

That will involve the US and UK rotating submarines through the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia by 2027 under a formal process to be designated Submarine Rotational Force\u2014West.<\/p>\n

The base will be expanded to support the scale of infrastructure required for nuclear-powered submarines\u2014both visitors and those that will belong to Australia. The UK is expected to provide one of its Astute-class SSNs for these rotations and the US up to four Virginia-class boats.<\/p>\n

Apart from bringing strategic weight, that will also increase opportunities for Australian personnel to serve aboard the submarines of both allies to, in the words of US president Joe Biden, help \u2018jump-start\u2019 Australia\u2019s capability.<\/p>\n

Pending congressional approval, the US has committed to selling three of its Virginia-class \u2018hunter-killer\u2019 submarines to Australia in the next decade and it will provide up to five if required.<\/p>\n

Australia and the UK intend to start building the submarines in their domestic shipyards before the end of this decade. The UK plans to deliver its first boats to the Royal Navy in the late 2030s. Australian boats will be built in Adelaide and the goal is to deliver the first locally built SSN to the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s.<\/p>\n

Barrett says that confronted by modern surveillance systems, in the ocean, on the seabed, in the air and out in space, a submarine commander\u2019s task has become steadily more difficult. It is much harder for a conventionally powered submarine to complete its mission because that requires it to come up near the surface to recharge its batteries by using a snorkel mast to run its diesel engines.<\/p>\n

\u2018You may need to react when something occurs, and the nuclear submarine\u2019s ability to put on speed instantaneously and sustain it for as long as needed is a clear advantage,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

Is the SSN AUKUS plan achievable?<\/p>\n

Barrett says that when he was navy chief, he\u2019d anticipated that the plan to replace many of the RAN\u2019s surface ships would generate a cohesive naval shipbuilding national endeavour that would harness a significant level of interest, engagement and resource base across government and industry.<\/p>\n

\u2018Such an endeavour requires new thinking, commitment and a constant level of governance while trying to avoid a reversion to past practice and a business-as-usual approach. Clearly, when you have nuclear stewardship as the core, the bar is raised enormously and all of these facets must be demonstrated to those who are about to release the technical detail to you. You need to demonstrate that you understand the issues, you have the resources to resolve the myriad problems that will arise out of AUKUS.\u2019<\/p>\n

Barrett says he\u2019s heartened by the extent of the work that\u2019s gone into ensuring that the project will be delivered safely, appropriately and effectively.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s a committed, deliberate and disciplined approach to how we\u2019ll eventually be able to do more of this ourselves, so I think the plan can work. I accept that it\u2019s going to take a long time, but it\u2019s not a binary choice that says we don\u2019t have this capability until we have everything.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The carefully staged AUKUS plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) will build increased deterrence as each phase is completed, says former Royal Australian Navy chief Tim Barrett. \u2018I think the way it\u2019s been …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":587,"featured_media":78926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[40,3111,457,114,3468,31],"class_list":["post-78916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-alliance-2","tag-aukus","tag-nuclear-submarines","tag-ran","tag-ssn-aukus","tag-united-states"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPhased AUKUS plan will steadily build Australia\u2019s deterrence | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/phased-aukus-plan-will-steadily-build-australias-deterrence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Phased AUKUS plan will steadily build Australia\u2019s deterrence | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The carefully staged AUKUS plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) will build increased deterrence as each phase is completed, says former Royal Australian Navy chief Tim Barrett. \u2018I think the way it\u2019s been ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/phased-aukus-plan-will-steadily-build-australias-deterrence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-12T05:33:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-12T22:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/150310-N-CB621-114-resized.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brendan Nicholson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Jerry Cashman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brendan Nicholson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/phased-aukus-plan-will-steadily-build-australias-deterrence\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/150310-N-CB621-114-resized.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/150310-N-CB621-114-resized.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"150310-N-CB621-114 JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (March 10, 2015) The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a deployment. 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