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[Air Force Brat]

Defence White Paper: Australia joins Asia's arms race with spending on weaponry and military forces to reach $195b

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Australia will acquire 12 submarines and 9 frigates according to the plan. Crewing them will be a problem I guess. Lol.

Well Mr. Brumby, you and I can be CapN and FO on at least one of those boats!

Make your depth 250 Meters Mr. Brumby, steer 290 degrees and give me turns for 25knts.

 

[FORBIN]

Good news.

Australia will acquire 12 submarines and 9 frigates according to the plan. Crewing them will be a problem I guess. Lol

.
9 FFG i have see out also then remains to 12 Combattants including 3 Hobbart, good things, 11 now with a Adelaide retired recently.

Crew problem is the matter mainly for SSK.

Yet also a ramp up with in addition 12 EA-18G, finaly 8 C-17 ! 12 decent C-27 help also.
Enough unusual for AF don't have helos except 6 S-76 leased for SAR mission.

Army get all weapons with MBT important have it but miss SPG can be interesting, 3 medium Brigades a small Army of good quality and all this forces are usable for overseas deployment Australia don' t have threats close, eventualy 2nd Division, Reserve can help.

And remains very interesting get SAM LR usefull for protect an oversea base with deployed fighters, btw 10/20 TEL it would be good Army have only a Bat with RBS-70.

 

[Jura The idiot]

Defence White Paper: ...

here's what the USNI had to say:
New Australian Long Range Defense Plan Has Maritime Emphasis

Australia has placed significant emphasis on enhancing its maritime capabilities in its long-delayed

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amidst an overall surge in the country’s defense spending, while warning that China’s policies and actions will have a major impact on the stability of the Indo-Pacific in the coming decades.

Released on Thursday, the White Paper was accompanied for the first time by a Defence Integrated Investment Program (DIIP) that sets out the level of investment needed to develop and sustain Australia’s defence capabilities over the next ten years.

The DIIP allocates a figure of approximately A$195 billion (U.S. $139.85 billion) over the next decade “to fund investment in support of the future force”, marking an increase of A$29.9 billion (US$21.4 billion) over projections and bringing the defense budget beyond the targeted two percent of GDP by FY2020-21.

Given Australia’s position as a maritime nation, it is of little surprise that a large portion of Australia’s future defense acquisitions will be dedicated to platforms and systems that ‘will be utilised in the maritime domain.

The White Paper noted that while “Australia and the Indo-Pacific region are in a period of significant economic transformation, leading to greater opportunities for prosperity and development” with regional peace and stability underpinned by a strong United States presence for the past 70 years, “instability in our immediate region could have strategic consequences for Australia” and Australia will continue to need a regionally superior defense force with the highest level of capability.

The main talking point of Thursday’s White Paper has been Australia’s Collins-class replacement submarine acquisition program. The White Paper has confirmed that Australia will proceed with acquiring twelve “regionally superior submarines with a high degree of interoperability with the United States” and expected to enter service in the 2030s.

The twelve boats, which will double Australia’s submarine fleet, will be acquired via a rolling acquisition program to ensure there is no capability gap and initiate the development of a replacement submarine in the 2050s, when the construction of the last of the twelve submarines is expected to be completed. No decision on whether some or all of the boats will be built in Australia has been made, and that will likely be revealed when the winning bid is revealed later this year.

Three diesel-electric submarine designs are currently be considered; Japan’s Soryu-class, the Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A design by France’s DCNS-Thales Consortium and the Type 216 design by Thyssen-Krupp Maritime Systems of Germany. Interoperability will be achieved to a large degree by fitting General Dynamics’ AN/BYG-1 combat system combat system and the Mark 48 Mod 7 torpedo jointly developed between the United States and Australia.

The White Paper also touched on the replacement of Australia’s venerable Lockheed-Martin P-3C Maritime Patrol Aircraft, with Australia increasing its fleet of Boeing P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Aircraft from eight to fifteen by acquiring seven more aircraft in two tranches to be delivered in the late 2020s. Australia has one of the largest Search and Rescue zones in the world, and the P-8s ability to stay aloft for long durations far away from home will come in useful, together with its offensive capabilities against an adversary’s submarines and surface ships.

Also confirmed is the acquisition of seven Northrop-Grumman MQ-4C Triton High-Altitude Long Endurance UAVs from the early 2020s. Together with the P-8s, the Tritons will be used for persistent maritime patrol and other Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) tasks over a broad area. Australia had previously announced its intention to acquire the Triton, although no timelines or confirmed numbers have been revealed until today.

This increase in P-8 numbers and acquisition of the Triton underscores the importance Australia places on the maritime domain. Dr Tim Huxley, Executive Director at the International Institute of Strategic Studies – Asia (IISS-Asia), told USNI that “planning for a fleet of 15 P-8s – more than originally expected – by the late 2020s highlights the importance of regional maritime domain awareness for Australia’s security, as does the plan to acquire seven MQ-4Cs” adding that “together, they will provide a significantly expanded MPA capability for Australia”.

Unsurprisingly, ISR features prominently in the White Paper. In late 2015, Australia acquired two Gulfstream 550s under a Foreign Military Sales Program for conversion to provide an airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (ISREW) capability. The White Paper indicates Australia has an eventual requirement for five such aircraft, to be acquired in two tranches and will be operational from the early 2020s. These aircraft will enhance electronic warfare support to naval, air and land forces for operations in electromagnetic environments and interoperability with equivalent American systems is also a key requirement.

A key ally of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region with shared security interests and boasts of a capable military, Australia is a lynchpin for security in the region. Today’s Defence White Paper has been greeted with widespread approval among stakeholders, and provides much-sought after clarity to Australia’s defense policy after a few turbulent years brought about mainly by political instability and budget constraints.

source:

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[FORBIN]

With 15 P-8 and 7 MQ-4C for replaced 19 AP-3C they get a Fleet a little more numerous with better platforms, P-8 mainly for ASW missions and UAV for very long recc missions and detected surface ships, a very capable maritime patrol fleet.

 

[Jeff Head]

Defence White Paper: Australia joins Asia's arms race with spending on weaponry and military forces to reach $195b

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Australia will acquire 12 submarines and 9 frigates according to the plan. Crewing them will be a problem I guess. Lol.

12 x Subs
09 x New Frigates
12 x OPVs

Hmm.

I know this is on top of the 3 DDGs, but is this meant to ultimately be in replacement of the Adelaide and Anzacs?

I ask because it lists specifically 9 ASW frigates. Australia currently has 3 Adelaide FFGs and Eight Anzac FFGs. That's 11.

So is the future 3 DDGs and 9 of these FFGs the replacement for those eleven? Sounds like it.

But what of the 12 OPVs? How big will they be?

Are they in addition to, or replacements for the 13 Armidale class? Sounds like they will replace them

If they are all replacements, I see no growth here overall.

They will end up with 12 DDGs and FFGs versus 11 FFGs, and with 12 OPVs versus 13 vessels now.

A total of 24 vessels either way.

 

[Brumby]

12 x Subs
09 x New Frigates
12 x OPVs

Hmm.

I know this is on top of the 3 DDGs, but is this meant to ultimately be in replacement of the Adelaide and Anzacs?

I ask because it lists specifically 9 ASW frigates. Australia currently has 3 Adelaide FFGs and Eight Anzac FFGs. That's 11.

So is the future 3 DDGs and 9 of these FFGs the replacement for those eleven? Sounds like it.

But what of the 12 OPVs? How big will they be?

Are they in addition to, or replacements for the 13 Armidale class? Sounds like they will replace them

If they are all replacements, I see no growth here overall.

They will end up with 12 DDGs and FFGs versus 11 FFGs, and with 12 OPVs versus 13 vessels now.

A total of 24 vessels either way.

I agree that overall fleet size basically remain unchanged except for the doubling of the submarine fleet. The emphasis is on building a highly flexible and capable fleet force structure through domain awareness, systems integration and top of the line platforms. Below is a breakdown by major spending :



If you add up the total spending on the destroyer and frigate programs, they end up at A$17 Billion and $37 Billion respectively. That averages out to be approx. US$4 billion per destroyer and US$3 Billion per frigate at present exchange rate. Those would be top of the line spending by any measure.

 

[Hyperwarp]

RAAF Super-Hornets:

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Red Flag16-1

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet taxis onto the flightline during Red Flag 16-1, Feb. 2, 2016 at Nellis AFB, Nev. Each unit participating in Red Flag brings their specific expertise and talents to the table. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alex Fox Echols III/Released)

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Red Flag16-1

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet flies over Nellis AFB, Nev., during Red Flag 16-1, Feb. 5, 2016. Red Flag 16-1’s training is centered on readiness through completing combat-realistic missions in a degraded, operationally limited environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alex Fox Echols III/Released)

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[Brumby]

Australia's asymmetric warfare - land deployable anti ship missiles.

A subject that had been previously floated in the defence circles but had not caught much publicity is the idea of deploying land based anti ship missiles as an asymmetric deterrent. Included in the recent Australian white paper is an investment of up to A$5 billion towards this capability thus transforming an idea into a more tangible program. I would suspect that such a move is not an isolated strategy but probably done in conjunction with what I would suspect similar thinking by the US. Time will tell.

 

[Jeff Head]

I agree that overall fleet size basically remain unchanged except for the doubling of the submarine fleet. The emphasis is on building a highly flexible and capable fleet force structure through domain awareness, systems integration and top of the line platforms. Below is a breakdown by major spending :
View attachment 25450

View attachment 25451
If you add up the total spending on the destroyer and frigate programs, they end up at A$17 Billion and $37 Billion respectively. That averages out to be approx. US$4 billion per destroyer and US$3 Billion per frigate at present exchange rate. Those would be top of the line spending by any measure.

Well, I think there is no doubt that the Hobarts are going to be better, more capable vessels than the Adelaide FFGs.

It will be interesting to see what these new FFGs are capable of...is there already a spec for them?

How will they compare to the Anzacs. I have to say that the upgrades going into the Anzacs are making them very capable.

 

[SamuraiBlue]

Australia's asymmetric warfare - land deployable anti ship missiles.

A subject that had been previously floated in the defence circles but had not caught much publicity is the idea of deploying land based anti ship missiles as an asymmetric deterrent. Included in the recent Australian white paper is an investment of up to A$5 billion towards this capability thus transforming an idea into a more tangible program. I would suspect that such a move is not an isolated strategy but probably done in conjunction with what I would suspect similar thinking by the US. Time will tell.

View attachment 25456

Where are they going to station them?
It sure doesn't sound as if they were meant for the mainland.