Aussie junket?
Our faithful Down Under Correspondent, FM, has brought our attention to a Canadian parliamentary delegation led by Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken to Australia. It seems some of our elected representatives met with the Aussie Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, to discuss "the bilateral Defence relationship, including materiel cooperation and Australia’s current and future operations in Afghanistan."
Those discussions sound fascinating, if there's any substance to them. But I doubt they can be of much substance, given the fact that the Speaker isn't speaking on behalf of the Harper government. How does Canada cooperate with Australia on materiel, I wonder? Would any of our parliamentarians have any more clue than I do about that?
As FM says in his e-mail: "Let's hope they asked some questions about shipbuilding, hey? I say that only half in jest. We did have a Senate enquiry into shipbuilding out here which did provide some support for a partial offshore build of the LHDs."
A parliamentary inquiry just to provide political cover for a government decision? We have no experience with such things in Canada. /tongue-in-cheek
Actually, it sounds like a decent idea if it can convince the Canadian voter that the first priority in defence procurement should be the right equipment, the second should be the right price, and the third should be buying it in Canada. Canadians tend to mix that all up, which makes for a whole lot of porkbarreling when the time comes to open up the coffers for a defence contract. Especially a shipbuilding one.
Can anyone identify the Canadian MP's on this little trip halfway around the world? The Canadian website doesn't have any details up.
Update: More detail from Fred in comments on the Australian Canberra Class LHD.
Mark's up-to-the-gills-with-info-date: From comments again...
Those discussions sound fascinating, if there's any substance to them. But I doubt they can be of much substance, given the fact that the Speaker isn't speaking on behalf of the Harper government. How does Canada cooperate with Australia on materiel, I wonder? Would any of our parliamentarians have any more clue than I do about that?
As FM says in his e-mail: "Let's hope they asked some questions about shipbuilding, hey? I say that only half in jest. We did have a Senate enquiry into shipbuilding out here which did provide some support for a partial offshore build of the LHDs."
A parliamentary inquiry just to provide political cover for a government decision? We have no experience with such things in Canada. /tongue-in-cheek
Actually, it sounds like a decent idea if it can convince the Canadian voter that the first priority in defence procurement should be the right equipment, the second should be the right price, and the third should be buying it in Canada. Canadians tend to mix that all up, which makes for a whole lot of porkbarreling when the time comes to open up the coffers for a defence contract. Especially a shipbuilding one.
Can anyone identify the Canadian MP's on this little trip halfway around the world? The Canadian website doesn't have any details up.
Update: More detail from Fred in comments on the Australian Canberra Class LHD.
Mark's up-to-the-gills-with-info-date: From comments again...
Details on what the Spanish and Aussies will each be doing in constructing the LHDs.
The same Spanish company, Navantia, won the design for new Aussie Air Warfare Destroyers and will also do some of the work on them.
A lesson for Canada.
And here's a post by David Pugliese:
"POTENTIAL FOR CANADA-AUSTRALIA CO-OP ON C-130J, CHINOOKS, C-17?"
posted by Babbling Brooks at 9:45 a.m.
6 Comments:
Maybe they could learn some lessons about Defense Acquisitions from our Commonwealth brothers.
Especially Naval procurement.
e.g. http://tinyurl.com/64rbge
Details on what the Spanish and Aussies will each be doing in constructing the LHDs.
The same Spanish company, Navantia, won the design for new Aussie Air Warfare Destroyers and will also do some of the work on them.
A lesson for Canada.
And here's a post by David Pugliese:
"POTENTIAL FOR CANADA-AUSTRALIA CO-OP ON C-130J, CHINOOKS, C-17?"
Mark
Ottawa
"Hulls to be built in Spain; superstructure and other equipment to be fitted out by defence company Tenix at its Melbourne shipyard; electronic systems to be fitted in Adelaide."
BRILLIANT !!
So why the hell can't the boffins in the Brick Brain sur Rideau apply an equal measure of common sense here.
The "build it in Canada" policy comes from the politicians, Fred, not the poor sods at the Puzzle Palace. In this one instance the drone bees in that particular hive of iniquity need to be cut some slack, since this is not of their doing.
Sorry Babs . . didn't make myself clear.
The "boffins" I was thinking of were the political tall forehead types over there, not the good guys.
If I was Harper I would announce a crash ship building program:
New coast Guard Ice Breakers - at least two. Sell it as response to Global Warming, the Arctic etc.
New AORs - three of them . . off the shelf "NATO" design
New Coast Guard Patrol boats.
Halifax Frigate mid life upgrade
All these would be domestic and that would overload our ship building capacity for years.
Then go offshore or offshore/hybrid like the Aussies did for the really difficult designs like the AEGIS Air Defense ships and LPD/PDH platforms.
And if the Arctic is really going to be important, then nuke boats are the only real response. Can't see AIP boats having the legs needed.
The Colds War is back on again, the Bear is awake, hungry & cranky.
Glad that was of interest.
Further to Navantia and their work on the AWD/LHD, the hot rumour out here is that the new White Paper will recommend a fourth AWD to allow production to run right up to the scheduled start of the Collins class (sub) replacement.
http://www.asiapacificdefencereporter.com/issues/july-aug08.php
A steady line of work for ASC there.
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