Cutting Edge: The Collins Experience

Australian Department of Defence, The Australian Strategic Policy Paper, Cutting Edge: The Collins Experience, highlights the many initiatives taken by the Howard Government over the past ten years to both reform Defence procurement and deliver a world class submarine capability to the Royal Australian Navy.  
 
Through utilising our Alliance relationship with the United States of America, reforming the way we do business in Defence Procurement and investing in local industry the Coalition Government is delivering this strategically important Defence capability. Specific measures have included: 
 
— Following the Defence Reform Project the functions of acquisition and supply were merged into the newly created Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), thereby establishing a single agency responsible for the acquisition and support of Specialist Military Equipment. 
 
— Implementing the recommendations of the June 1999 McIntosh – Prescott Report: Report to the Minister for Defence on the Collins Class Submarine and Related Matters. 
 
— Signing a Statement of Principles for Enhanced Cooperation between the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy in Matters Relating to Submarines in September 2001. This agreement is current through to 2011. 
 
— Implementing the recommendations of the 2003 Defence Procurement Review (Kinnaird Review), including establishing the DMO as a prescribed agency, appointing a CEO, implementing a two-pass Cabinet process to allow projects to be assessed for risk before approval and bringing forward a Military Of-the Shelf capability option as a genuine choice for Government. 
 
— Investing $857 million in a new tactical combat system and upgraded state-of-the-art Heavyweight Torpedoes. The combat system and torpedoes are part of a joint project with the US Navy and will be largely in common with the systems fitted to new submarines in the US Navy. 
 
— Signing a $3.5 billion contract with ASC in 2004 for the through life support of the Collins Class, ensuring the ability to maintain and upgrade the submarines remains within Australia. 
 
— Commencing a new Submariner recruitment drive, allowing Australians who want to volunteer as a Submariner the ability to directly join the submarine force without needing prior Defence qualifications. 
 
 
HMAS Waller is currently being fitted out with the new tactical combat system at ASC's facility in Adelaide and will be ready to start sea trials of these new capabilities early in 2007. Once these trials have been completed HMAS Waller will represent the most capable conventionally powered submarine in the world to date. 
 
Future war fighting capabilities for the long term are also continually developed within the Defence Capability Development Group and Defence Science and Technology Organisation. The Government remains committed to delivering on the Collins Project to Protect and Secure Australia. 
 
Funding for the replacement tactical combat systems and Heavyweight Torpedo project has been provided as part of the Government's commitment to increase spending of $28.5 billion on Defence capability over the 10-year period to 2010 and builds on the 2000 White Paper to raise Defence funding by three per cent annually, in real terms, until 2010/11.