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Collins Class submarines, Tomahawk missiles and, surprisingly, union strikes have featured in an official assessment of the Royal Australian Navy from Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond.
Vice Admiral Hammond made the comments in a US Naval Institute piece entitled Shipbuilding and sustainment: Essential national security enablers for Australia published in May this year.
The vice admiral has previously served as RAN’s assistant naval attaché in Washington and Australian Defence Force’s liaison officer to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, director general maritime operations, deputy chief of navy, and commander of the Australian Fleet before becoming chief of navy.
In particular, VADM Hammond outlined that the RAN is accelerating the Tomahawk weapon system installation in its surface combatants as a key priority.
“HMAS Brisbane, the second of the Hobart Class air warfare destroyers, conducted a live Tomahawk launch off the coast of San Diego in 2024. The Royal Australian Navy is accelerating the Tomahawk weapon system installation in its surface combatants,” he said. “In the future, we also plan to deploy Tomahawks in Virginia Class submarines (to be acquired through the AUKUS partnership) and the Hunter Class frigates, subject to feasibility.
“Weapon systems in the fleet are being enhanced to deliver greater lethality. The three Hobart class air warfare destroyers will receive an upgrade to the Baseline 9 Aegis combat system, and the Tomahawk weapon system, Naval Strike Missile, and Standard Missile-6 will significantly boost the offensive and defensive capabilities of our fleet.”
In addition, the chief of navy detailed upcoming milestones that the RAN will work towards in regard to new acquisitions and updating war vessels.
“Construction has commenced on the first of six Hunter Class frigates, which will be commissioned as HMAS Hunter, at the Osborne Precinct,” he said.
“The same precinct recently delivered NUSHIP Arafura, lead ship of the Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels, with the remaining five vessels in various stages of construction at both the Osborne and Henderson shipyards. The final two Evolved Cape Class patrol boats are scheduled to be accepted by the Commonwealth this year.
“The government also has committed to 11 general purpose frigates, eight of which are programmed to be built at Henderson. Defence will investigate options for six large optionally crewed surface vessels to further enhance the surface combatant fleet. Overall, more than 70 vessels will be constructed or upgraded in Australia as part of this intergenerational pipeline of naval construction projects.
“A significant investment has been made to extend the life of our Collins Class submarine fleet. These six submarines are the nation’s most important strategic assets, providing the most potent deterrent in our arsenal ... Our sustainment partners in industry are a critical enabler for this capability, and there is a national security imperative attached to keeping the Collins Class boats operational until the Virginia Class submarines join the fleet in the early 2030s and the AUKUS Class SSNs are introduced in the early 2040s.”
The chief of navy also outlined that the RAN is facing significant challenges as it moves forward, he called out industrial action as a key issue to be addressed.
“A shortage of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and trade-qualified people exacerbates the challenge of recruiting enough of the right people into the shipbuilding and sustainment workforce to deliver naval shipbuilding and sustainment projects on time and on budget,” he said.
“Another key challenge to the delivery of shipbuilding and sustainment projects is industrial action (labour union movements), which often disrupts construction and sustainment activities. The right to industrial action is a cornerstone of our Western liberal democratic values. However, we need to strike a better balance between maintaining the rights and protections of workers and delivering capabilities vital to national security.
“While the shipbuilding and sustainment enterprise grapples with complex challenges, it also is taking advantage of opportunities to grow the national industrial base. The results will deliver critical naval capability for Australia’s immediate maritime security needs and evolve the enterprise to enable continuous shipbuilding for the long term. This is a not only a transformational time for our Navy, but also a nation-building effort for Australia. It is an exciting time for those of us in the Navy and for our colleagues in the defence industry.”
