A FORMER defence force chief has backed the federal government's plans to stick with conventional-powered submarines, saying they better serve the strategic interests of Australia's allies.
General Peter Cosgrove, now the Defence SA advisory board chairman, said a report suggesting Australia should consider a nuclear option for its next generation submarines put an "economic rationalist" argument ahead of capability issues.
He said the US would also favour Australia sticking with conventionally-powered submarines.
"The Americans would love us to have a conventionally-powered submarine to complement what they do," the retired general told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.
"So a conventionally powered submarine, from our point of view, is very viable.
"It (the report) takes some convenient economic rationalist argument, forgetting that there is a capability question at play here which is what is best for Australia.
"What is best for Australia, in this case, is to have a submarine which is capable, fitted with very, very modern systems which would keep our people in those submarines as safe as possible and which will do the job for Australia."
The report, by analyst Simon Cowan, said Australia should consider leasing up to eight US Virginia class nuclear submarines at an all-up cost of about $24-27 billion.
Mr Cowan, from the conservative thinktank the Centre for Independent Studies, argued nuclear boats offered far greater range and endurance, higher top speed, more weapons and better sensors.
"The nuclear-powered Virginia class is an altogether better submarine than any diesel-powered Collins Class replacement might be," he said.
The government is considering options for a Collins replacement, with an evolution of the Collins design, to give greater range and endurance, billed as most likely, with various cost estimates going as high as $40 billion.
General Cosgrove said the defence sector was mindful that budget constraints could impact on what option the government went with.
But he said maintaining the defence industry's construction capability was important to the nation's future.
"It is not a cost. It is an added value for this nation to have a defence capability in industry which includes a very vibrant, powerful, ongoing shipbuilding industry," he said.
"If we move all that stuff to other countries, not only will we be losing the capacity, we'll be paying billion and billions of dollars to overseas shipbuilders and shipyards to maintain warships because we will have lost the capacity to take care of them ourselves."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ex-defence boss backs govt's subs plan
Dengan url
https://bosedollar.blogspot.com/2012/10/ex-defence-boss-backs-govts-subs-plan.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ex-defence boss backs govt's subs plan
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ex-defence boss backs govt's subs plan
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar