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The fleet of 12 new Royal Australian Navy offshore patrol vessels will be built by German ship designer Lürssen as prime contractor, the Australian government announced on November 24.

The government further stressed that OPV project, which is worth up to AU$4 billion, will be delivered by “Australian workers, in Australian shipyards using Australian steel”.

The design for the 12 new vessels will be based on Lürssen’s OPV80 design adapted to Australian requirements.

Somewhat bigger than the four OPVs Lürssen built for the Royal Brunei Navy, Australian OPVs will be 80 meters in length with a displacement of 1700 tonnes and a draught of 4 meters.

The vessels will be fitted with a 40mm gun for self-protection, three 8.4m sea boats, and command and communication systems. This will allow the OPVs to operate alongside Australian Border Force vessels and other Australian Defence Force units.

The vessels will accommodate up to 60 personnel, including a crew of around 40 Navy personnel and have the ability to accept modular mission packs such as unmanned aerial systems.

First two ships will be built by ASC Shipbuilding in Adelaide and the project will then transfer to the Henderson Maritime Precinct in WA where Lürssen will use the capabilities of Austal and Civmec to build ten OPVs, subject to the conclusion of commercial negotiations.

The first of the 12 OPVs will start production in the fourth quarter of 2018 and is expected to enter service in 2021 starting the replacement of the current Armidale-class patrol boats.

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China has slammed Australia over the language used in its foreign policy white paper that is explicitly critical and fearful of Beijing’s rise as the dominant power in Asia-Pacific amid waning US influence.

The Australian government late on Thursday released the white paper – the first to be issued in 13 years – to outline its national interests and long-term agenda in what it referred to as the "Indo-Pacific" region amid "changing power balances".

The 138-page policy paper called for continued US leadership role in the region clearly reflecting Australia’s anxiety over China’s growing stature despite Beijing’s emergence as Canberra’s largest trading partner in recent years.

"The United States has been the dominant power in our region throughout Australia's post-Second World War history. Today, China is challenging America's position," the document said. "Navigating the decade ahead will be hard because, as China's power grows, our region is changing in ways without precedent in Australia's modern history."

On a consoling note, the policy paper asserted that Australia was "committed to strong and constructive ties with China.”

China expressed "grave concerns" over the language used in the white paper. “We have noted that the white paper issued by the Australian government has given an overall positive evaluation of China's development and China-Australia relations but made irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue. We are gravely concerned about this," Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Lu Kang said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

'Rule-based order can't be defined unilaterally'
Describing the white paper as "clear-eyed and hard-headed", Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull acknowledged the palpable nervousness in Canberra as the regional power balance shifts. "This is the first time in our history that our dominant trading partner is not also a dominant security partner," he said about China.

"In the past we could safely assume that the world worked in a way that suited Australia," Turnbull said, following the launch of the policy document in Canberra. "Now power is shifting and the rules and institutions are under challenge," he said. "We are experiencing unprecedented prosperity and opportunity but the liberal, rules-based order that underpins it all is under greater stress than at any time since its creation in the 1940s."

The white paper advocated that the US presence in the region is necessary for, what it called a "rules-based order."

"We believe that the United States' engagement to support a rules-based order is in its own interests and in the interests of wider international stability and prosperity," the document said. "Without sustained US support, the effectiveness and liberal character of the rules-based order will decline."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a sharp retort to the implicit notion being pushed in the Australian policy paper, which suggested somehow that Beijing is averse to the concept of "rules-based order".

"As to what you mentioned with regard to whether China follows the 'rules-based order' in place since World War II, I would like to remind them that the post-WWII rules and order as we speak should be those ones generally acknowledged by the international community rather than defined unilaterally by any certain country," spokesperson Lu Kang told reporters when asked to comment on the issue.

"On China's part, what we have always observed are the rules based on the purpose and principle of the UN Charter, not those ones unilaterally defined by any country," he stressed.

'Australia has no business in South China Sea'
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also criticized the white paper’s passages on the issues related to the South China Sea, which stated that Australia is "particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China's activities [in the sea]" and that Canberra "opposes the use of disputed features and artificial structures in the South China Sea for military purposes."

"Elsewhere in the region, Australia is concerned about the potential for the use of force or coercion in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait," the white paper added.

Dubbing the Australian position as "irresponsible", Lu Kang said: "Australia is not a party of the South China Sea issue, and has kept saying it takes no stance on the relevant territorial sovereignty disputes. We urge the Australian side to honor its commitment and stop irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue."

The foreign ministry spokesperson assured that the "the situation in the South China Sea has been stabilized and eased."

"In particular, the littoral countries of the South China Sea, namely China and the ASEAN countries, have reached consensus on the 'dual-track' approach, that is to say, the parties directly concerned peacefully resolve the dispute through dialogue and negotiation, and China and the ASEAN countries join efforts to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea. Now regional countries are moving in this direction and we hope non-regional countries can respect such efforts," he asserted.

What is the 'Indo-Pacific' strategy?
The Australian white paper also highlighted the challenges that will rise with China’s growing influence in the region, which is increasingly being described as the "Indo-Pacific", rather than the more conventional Asia-Pacific, in the world of strategic diplomacy.

"Like all great powers, China will seek to influence the region to suit its own interests," the white paper said. "As it does, a number of factors suggest we will face an increasingly complex and contested Indo–Pacific. Compounding divergent strategic interests as China’s power grows, tensions could also flare between them over trade and other economic issues."

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about the importance of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a term that he frequently used during his 12-day, five-nation Asia visit earlier this month.

It was a departure from the language employed by previous US administrations and led to speculation that it could have to do with Washington laying the groundwork for a revival of the so-called quadrilateral strategic alliance consisting of the US, Japan, Australia and India to counter China’s rise.

Earlier this June, the term had found mention in the joint statement issued by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump after the former's visit to the White House.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been another proponent of the idea of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance. During the Japanese leader's visit to India this September, both Abe and Modi called for a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy.

With the Australian white paper making several references, Indo-Pacific appears to have entered the official foreign policy lexicons in Washington, Tokyo, New Delhi and Canberra.

The four nations had not formally convened as a strategic group for a decade but signaling a widening of their security cooperation under the likely quadrilateral coalition, top officials from the US, Japan, India and Australia on November 12 held extensive talks focusing on the Indo-Pacific region, in Manila, ahead of the ASEAN and East Asia summits.

Chin has cautioned that the alliance should not target a "third party". "We keep saying that China is glad to see relevant countries develop friendly and cooperative relations, but we hope that such relations would not target a third party and should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said earlier this month.

Zhang Zhixin, head of American Political Studies at the Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing, speaking earlier to China Daily, hoped that Australia, which enjoys decent economic ties with China, may be less keen to push forward the new grouping.

"The quadrilateral ‘alliance’, which the United States, India, Japan and Australia plan to build to strengthen their ‘Indo-Pacific ties’, however, would not affect the economic interdependence of Asian economies nor would it serve the purpose of containing China, if there is one," Zhang said.

"In fact, with more countries joining the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, it seems an unwise move to miss the reciprocal nature of President Xi Jinping's vision and exclude China from regional economic governance," Zhang reasoned.

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Jura said:

I'm new to this, so "a surprise twist" below couldn't surprise me LOL!
Austal, ASC and Civmec to build Luerssen Offshore Patrol Vessels under $3.6b Sea 1180 tender
24 November 2017

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...

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This morning's

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by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the award of the $3.6 billion Sea 1180 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) tender to German designer and shipbuilder Luerssen served to raise further questions.
Of particular note was the Commonwealth's decision to disregard the allegiances of bidders in making its final choice. Austal was of course teamed with other German bidder Fassmer, and will now need to realign itself with Luerssen as prime.

Another twist in the announcement was that Henderson based heavy engineering and fabrication services company and Luerssen partner Civmec/Forgacs Marine and Defence would also have a share in the construction of the 10 vessels to be built in WA. ASC Shipbuilding will construct the first two OPVs in Adelaide; both it and Civmec/Forgacs Marine and Defence had

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to build the Luerssen design if selected.

Luerssen CEO Peter Luerssen said the company's ambition had been to deliver the best vessel for the Royal Australian Navy from a proven low-risk design; to build that vessel by investing in the development of Australian shipbuilding skills; and to open up new opportunities for Australian businesses and suppliers by contributing to a sustainable and globally competitive industrial base.

"Now is the time for Luerssen and its partners to roll up the sleeves and get down to work.”

Luerssen’s Australian team includes major subcontractors L3 Australia, SAAB Australia and Penske and, as part of its commitment to Australian Industry Content, Luerssen has committed to involving Australian SMEs and subcontractors in the project.

ASC Shipbuilding CEO Mark Lamarre said he looked forward to continued engagement with Luerssen at the earliest opportunity to prepare for the project.

“ASC Shipbuilding has worked closely with Luerssen over the past 12 months as part of its OPV bid and we look forward to continuing that close collaboration. Luerssen is renowned for its navy ships, its long history and its track record of exporting to countries around the world.”

Civmec

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in early 2016. Forgacs Marine and Defence managing director and former naval officer

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told ADM there hadn't been an expectation that such an arrangement would be chosen by the Commonwealth but said in many ways it made sense.

"When you think about, when you want to buy a car you decide which model you want and you then decide which caryard you are going to purchase it from."

Deeks explained that that the decision would bring naval minor war vessel construction to WA in a big way and would provide the opportunity to bring out the best that Austal and Civmec could offer.

He confirmed the Luerssen reference ship for the Sea 1180 tender was

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.

"I had the good fortune to spend a few hours aboard the ship when it was alongside in Singapore earlier this year - it's very impressive and as a former naval officer I could easily picture an Australian crew being very comfortable in that ship."

He explained the layout is very spacious with plenty of room for expansion and additional equipment, with the stern ramp RHIB launch and recovery system one of the most impressive features.

"It has a good-sized flight deck and whatever aircraft Navy decides to operate it should serve its purpose well."

More detail and background on the Luerssen OPV can be found in ADM Editor Katherine Ziesing's story

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.

Deeks said there were a lot of things that would need to be resolved regarding the division of responsibilities on work between ASC, Austal and Forgacs Marine and Defence.

"It's fairly obvious who will be best placed to perform certain elements of the work packages and the rest will be resolved between CASG and Luerssen. We had expected to perform the build here in conjunction with ASC but now we'll have a different dance partner."

"Our strength is steel fabrication; Austal's is more with ship systems, outfitting and those sorts of things. Perhaps we would do the steel hulls and the modules and they do the outfitting and systems integration - but this is all just speculation at this stage."

Austal CEO David Singleton said during a teleconference this morning the announcement "wasn't entirely what Austal had expected" and that further contract negotiations would now take place to get the new building arrangements "bedded down".

"This will result in a contract between the Government and Luerssen and Austal in February or March of next year, with the intention to start constructon on the program immediatley thereafter."

Singleton expected the first delivery three years after contract with additional deliveries occurring at a rate of one per year thereafter.

He also mentioned the Commonwealth had alluded to other vessels it would be looking to build in the mid-2030s which would extend the program beyond the anticipated 15 years.

"It's expected the Government will issue a contract covering servicing and sustainment some time in 2018 - probably mid-year - there will be plenty of time given the first ship will be three years away at that point."

In reponse to an ADM question regarding the allocation of work between Forgacs Marine and Defence and Austal, Singleton said it was early days but approximately 70 per cent of the work on every ship built by Austal was assigned to other companies.

"If I take the Pacific Patrol Boat as an example, all of the steel cutting is done by local steel fabricators so it's not unusual that that type of construction would occur."

He didn't envisage the split would be along the lines of whole ships.

"It certainly won't be five for them and five for us - it'll be one construction program and there will be involvement from a whole load of companies along the strip here.

"Civmec have been named because they were an integral part of the Luerssen bid from the beginning, and this recognises that they'll continue to be involved into the future."

He dismissed suggestions Civmec would be involved in hull construction: "You know there is only one company that builds naval ships along the Henderson strip."

Singleton said that Luerssen was a company Austal knew well and envisaged the process of forming a relationship with the prime would be a quick one.

"Peter Luerssen is well known to us and we've touched base with them on a number of occasions throughout the process."

Regarding the adjustment to the Luerssen design, Singleton said Austal was familiar with winning overseas contracts which required steel cutting only months later.

"We're pretty good at getting into production but remember the first two ships will be built in Osborne by ASC so we won't be cutting steel until around about late FY19 - that's good because we have a lot of work in our Henderson shipyard at the moment."

Forgacs Marine and Defence is currently constructing a large 20 storey-high shipbuilding hall adjacent to parent company Civmec's existing site at Henderson and good progress is being made on the project, according to MD Deeks.

"We've cleared the land and we've started work on the paint and blast facility, the smaller of the two halls, and we expect that to be completed by mid-next year; the build of the large hall construction will commence early next year."

Deeks said once finished towards the end of 2019, the facility, which was planned despite the Sea 1180 tender, would be a wonderful new facility for shipbuilding in Australia.

"When you consider construction of OPV number three, with plate forming and initial single deck modules, we wouldn't anticipate needing the new shed until late in 2020, so we'll have 12 months to fine tune the hall for the OPVs."

Deeks offered his commiserations to Damen, which had also partnered with Civmec and ASC for the build.

"Damen were equally professional and had a very good offering, we would have been delighted if they had been selected but of course we have a very good relationship with Luerssen as well."

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Australia’s

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is a contrast study, both dark and light. Bright vistas of international opportunity are described beneath storm clouds of ‘political alienation and economic nationalism’.

Here are both dreams and nightmares: a report card on the world—subtitled ‘Opportunity, security, strength’—that’s also a crystal ball exercise, weaving prediction and prognosis through the policy prescriptions.

Standing in the central atrium of Canberra’s foreign affairs building, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched the white paper as the government’s vision of the next decade of ‘uncertain and dangerous times’.

A leader who projects beaming optimism as his personal motif spent a lot of time discussing the paper’s ‘clear-eyed and hard-headed’ approach to an era of rapid change, political uncertainty, strategic ambition and foreign interference.

The United States and China stand at the centre of the paper as the key bilateral relationship which will decide much of the next decade. The third paragraph puts it simply: ‘Today, China is challenging America’s position.’

Shared economic interests may not be enough to produce a sharing of power that suits Beijing or that Washington can accept:

They have a mutual interest in managing strategic tensions but this by itself is not a guarantee of stability. Compounding divergent strategic interests as China’s power grows, tensions could also flare between them over trade and other economic issues.

Last year’s

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was loud and staunch in its confidence in the US alliance and that America is in Asia to stay. Coming to the end of the first year of the Trump presidency, the foreign policy white paper is needier and fretful. The subtext of the declarations of deep Oz affection for the US is the stark question Canberra now faces: What happens if America goes AWOL, heading east of Guam (or even Hawaii) just as Britain once departed east of Suez?

The white paper’s answer to that question is a pledge to do everything possible to see that the nightmare never happens, with repeated affirmations that the US alliance is good for Australia and good for the region:

The alliance is a choice we make about how best to pursue our security interests. It is central to our shared objective of shaping the regional order. It delivers a capability edge to our armed forces and intelligence agencies, giving Australia added weight and regional influence.

The chapter discussing stability in the Indo-Pacific treats the US and China as a linked topic. This is striking. The US no longer stands alone in the Oz pantheon, but now shares the central pillar with another.

Throughout the paper, the love for the US is invariably followed by a paragraph on the deep friendship with China. Malcolm Turnbull might worry, in private, about China as a

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, but this official statement of the Oz world view is notable for being most China-friendly.

As policy documents, white papers are always significant for their hierarchies and lists. The country hierarchy is, as you’d expect, the US, China, Japan, Indonesia and India. Canberra’s embrace of the

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gets another big run.

As promised, the Pacific islands and Timor-Leste get particular attention, with one of the eight chapters devoted to our enduring partnership with Papua New Guinea, stepping up engagement with the islands and supporting Timor. The remember-the-Pacific emphasis means the region gets a place in the five objectives of fundamental importance to Australia’s security and prosperity:

• promote an open, inclusive and prosperous Indo–Pacific region in which the rights of all states are respected
• deliver more opportunities for our businesses globally and stand against protectionism
• ensure Australians remain safe, secure and free in the face of threats such as terrorism
• promote and protect the international rules that support stability and prosperity and enable cooperation to tackle global challenges
• step up support for a more resilient Pacific and Timor–Leste.

On the light and optimistic side of the ledger, the paper devotes a page to ‘dynamic Asia’ and the prediction that Asia’s miracle still has much more to give:

The scale of Asia’s transformation is unprecedented. In a little over three decades the region went from one in which more than a billion people lived in extreme poverty to one with more than a billion in the middle class …. Over the next 10 years, a billion more Asians will join the middle class creating a consumer market larger in number and spending power than the rest of the world combined. Their choices will reshape global markets. By 2030, the region will produce more than half of the world’s economic output and consume more than half of the world’s food and 40 per cent of its energy. By then, more than 600 million additional people will live in the region’s cities.

Power shifts don’t get any bigger than that. As the white paper comments: ‘For Australia, the stakes could not be higher.’

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vincent said:

What's with the Aussie talks about China invading Australia? The current arrangement of buying raw materials and selling finish goods is a much better option for China

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SouthernSky said:

I'm sure the language between both governments has been, and will continue to be, more sensible than the crap you have posted above Jura.

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U.S. bombers conduct bilateral training with Royal Australian Air Force in conjunction with Lightning Focus exercise

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers conducted a bilateral integrated training mission with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as part of Exercise Lightning Focus over the northern coast of Australia, Nov. 27.

An RAAAF-led exercise, Lightning Focus is the largest international air forces exercise in Australia. Scheduled to run through Dec. 2, the exercise is intended to provide air-to-air training for pilots, weapons system officers and air battle managers, strengthening military-to-military relationships with our allies and partners

During the mission, the B-1B bomber took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and transitioned the south Pacific, where they maintained contact with RAAF JTACS on the ground. Upon completion of the mission, the Lancers landed at RAAF Base Amberley, Australia.

The training is being conducted as part of the Enhanced Air Cooperation (EAC) between the U.S. and Australia. Led by U.S. Pacific Command, EAC allows the U.S. Department of Defense and the Australian Defence Force to build upon their individual and combined capabilities and advance interoperability between the nations.

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Jura said:

and here's what NavalToday has to say:
Australia picks Lürssen for AU$4b offshore patrol vessel project

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