Sponsored by Exensor
www.exensor.com
————————————————————————-
25 Mar 21. Biden Declares May 1 Deadline To Be Out of Afghanistan ‘Hard to Meet.’ President Joe Biden said the upcoming May 1 deadline to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan will be “hard to meet,” during his first press conference today since taking office. The president cited “tactical reasons” for the delay, but emphasized it was not his intention “to stay there a long time.” Biden said it is important for U.S. service members to leave in a safe and orderly manner, and added that he is in coordination with NATO allies who also have troops in the region. The president has said before today that it would be difficult to meet the May 1 deadline to remove the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops. That deadline was set by former president Donald J. Trump in 2020, according to published news reports. The U.S. military has been in Afghanistan for 16 years, making the war there the longest conflict in U.S. history, spanning three presidential administrations. (Source: US DoD)
25 Mar 21. Special Operations team in Pacific will confront Chinese information campaigns.
U.S. Special Operations Command created a task force in the Pacific region to work with allies there to thwart China’s information operations, the commander told lawmakers Thursday.
The Joint Task Force Indo-Pacific team will be focused on information and influence operations in the Pacific theater, a part of the world receiving much the military’s attention because of China’s growing capabilities.
The team is poised to work with like-minded partners in the region, Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of Special Operations Command, said before the Armed Services Committee. “We actually are able to tamp down some of the disinformation that they [China] continuously sow,” he said of the task force’s efforts.
The task force is an example of the fresh ideas the military is seeking to stifle damaging adversary influence and information operations. Officials are growing more concerned about these operations that sow chaos, doubt and confusion.
“Adversary use of disinformation, misinformation and propaganda poses one of today’s greatest challenges to the United States, not just to the Department of Defense,” Christopher Maier, acting assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations/Low-intensity Conflict, said earlier this month at a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing.
Today’s information environment gives Russia, China and non-state actors real-time access to a global audience, Maier said. “With first-mover advantage and by flooding the information environment with deliberated and manipulated information that is mostly truthful with carefully crafted deceptive elements, these actors can gain leverage to threaten our interest.”
Broadly, Maier explained that DoD organizes its efforts to combat disinformation, misinformation and propaganda in four lines of effort: countering propaganda by adversaries, force protection, countering disinformation and strategic deception abroad by adversaries, and deterring and disrupting adversarial influence capabilities.
Given that the primary delivery mechanism for this information malice is taking place through cyberspace, U.S. Cyber Command has seen an increased role beyond just affecting the 1s and 0s that are the language of the domain. Cyber Command also carries out cyber-enabled information operations of its own.
The command’s leader pointed to the DoD’s “defend forward” directive — which charges Cyber Command to get as close as possible to adversaries in networks outside the United States — as a critical aspect of combating foreign cyber and influence operations before they reach U.S. shores.
Gen. Paul Nakasone, Cyber Command’s head, explained to senators Thursday that the command conducted over a dozen operations to head off foreign influence threats prior to the 2020 elections.
“The idea of operating outside of the United States, being able to both enable our partners with information and act when authorized. This is an active approach to our adversaries,” he said. “It’s been most effective as we’ve seen with the 2018 and 2020 elections with adversaries attempting to influence us, attempting to interfere but not being able to do that.”
The forward defense concept isn’t just applicable to cyberspace. Clarke described Special Operations Forces, specifically Military Information Support Operations professionals, that are deployed forward and work closely with embassies around the world.
“By working closely with those partners to ensure that our adversaries, our competitors are not getting that free pass and to recognize what is truth from fiction and continue to highlight that to using our intel communities is critical,” he said.
1st Special Forces Command built an Information Warfare Center specifically designed to develop “influence artillery rounds” as a means of detecting adversary activity around the globe in and rapidly push that information to those that need it.
Ultimately, however, officials explained the military is just one instrument of national power to suppress these malicious activities.
“This is what the power of [Department of] Treasury brings to it, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, [Department of] Justice, Department of Homeland Security. This is the lesson that we’ve learned, is that we have to operate together because the partnership is where the power is,” Nakasone said.
While responding to information or influence operations is imperative, Nakasone said the response could diplomatic or financial, not just a military action.
“There’s a broader piece that is being worked right now by the administration in terms of: How do we improve the further resilience of the United States as we look at adversaries continuing to avoid our laws and policies and try to use our own infrastructure in their own attempts?” he added. “This is not going to be episodic. This is something that U.S. Cyber Command and the other combatant commands need to continue to work at.” (Source: Defense News)
25 Mar 21. Germany extends military mission in Afghanistan into 2022. Germany paved the way for its troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond an April 30 deadline that the United States last year agreed with the Taliban for the withdrawal of U.S. forces after nearly two decades of war. Lawmakers approved late on Thursday a new mandate which allows the German military to keep up to 1,300 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission until Jan 31, 2022.
The current parliamentary mandate for the German operation expires at the end of March. The new U.S. government is still reviewing the 2020 agreement with the Taliban so it is not yet clear whether or for how long NATO troops will stay.
At the same time, Washington is pressing for a peace deal to end fighting between the government in Kabul and the Taliban. Talks between the Afghan sides in Qatar have stalled.
The German government has warned that a premature withdrawal of NATO troops could jeopardize those peace talks, adding that NATO troops would need to prepare for Taliban violence if they stay beyond the end of April. (Source: Reuters)
25 Mar 21. North Korea missile tests: UK statement. Minister for Asia statement on North Korea conducting two short-range ballistic missile tests. Minister for Asia, Nigel Adams said, “We are deeply concerned that North Korea has conducted two short-range ballistic missile tests. These tests are a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions and a threat to regional peace and security. Alongside our allies and partners, the UK is committed to peace on the Korean Peninsula, upholding the rules-based international system and securing an end to North Korea’s illegal activities. North Korea must refrain from further provocations, and engage in meaningful negotiations with the US.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
24 Mar 21. Taiwan says has begun mass production of long-range missile. Taiwan has begun mass production of a long-range missile and is developing three other models, a senior official said on Thursday, in a rare admission of efforts to develop strike capacity amid growing Chinese pressure.
China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity near the island, as it tries to force the government in Taipei to accept Beijing’s claims of sovereignty.
Taiwan’s armed forces, dwarfed by China’s, are in the midst of a modernisation programme to offer a more effective deterrent, including the ability to hit back at bases deep within China in the event of a conflict.
Taking lawmaker questions in parliament, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said developing a long-range attack capability was a priority.
“We hope it is long-range, accurate and mobile,” he said, adding research on such weapons by the state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology had “never stopped”.
Standing next to Chiu, the institute’s deputy director Leng Chin-hsu said one long-range, land-based missile had already entered production, with three other long-range missiles in development.
Leng said it was “not convenient” for him to provide details on how far the missile could fly.
The institute, which is leading Taiwan’s weapon development efforts, has in recent months carried out a series of missile tests off its southeastern coast.
Media in Taiwan have carried images of missiles launching and instructions have been given to aircraft to stay clear of the test area, but the tests have otherwise been shrouded in secrecy.
Taiwan’s armed forces have traditionally concentrated on defending the island from a Chinese attack.
But President Tsai Ing-wen has stressed the importance of developing an “asymmetrical” deterrent, using mobile equipment that is hard to find and destroy, and capable of hitting targets far from Taiwan’s coast.
Washington, Taipei’s main foreign arms supplier, has been eager to create a military counterbalance to Chinese forces, building on an effort known within the Pentagon as “Fortress Taiwan”. (Source: Reuters)
24 Mar 21. North Korea missile launch tests Biden, alarms Japan ahead of Olympics. North Korea launched two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, underscoring the country’s weapons advancements, fueling tension ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and ramping up pressure on the new Biden administration.
The apparent tests were reported by authorities in the United States, South Korea, and Japan, and coincided with the start of the Olympic torch relay in Japan.
They would be the first ballistic missile tests by North Korea in nearly a year and the first reported under U.S. President Joe Biden, who took office in January.
Analysts said the latest missile tests do not mean denuclearisation diplomacy is dead, but they highlight an inconvenient truth for the new U.S. administration: Pyongyang’s arsenal is advancing every day, posing new threats and increasing its potential bargaining power should talks resume.
“Every day that passes without a deal that tries to reduce the risks posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile arsenal is a day that it gets bigger and badder,” said Vipin Narang, a nuclear affairs expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.
Thursday’s launches came just days after North Korea fired several cruise missiles in a move that Biden said was not provocative and “business as usual.”
The Biden administration is in the final stages of its North Korea policy review, officials have said, and has been simultaneously signalling a hard line on human rights, denuclearisation and sanctions, while making diplomatic overtures that have so far been rebuffed by Pyongyang.
It would be a mistake for Washington to ignore the advances in North Korea’s short-range missiles, especially after leader Kim Jong Un declared in January that his military had the technology to miniaturise nuclear warheads and place them on tactical missiles, said Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council and former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea.
“Downplaying North Korean ballistic missile tests will not help U.S. diplomacy with North Korea in any way, and would only encourage North Korea to further test the bounds of what the new administration can accept,” he said.
The missile launches highlight the threat North Korea’s illicit weapons programme poses to its neighbours and the international community, the United States military’s Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
The command said it was monitoring the situation and consulting allies. There was no official comment from the White House or State Department on the test.
North Korea typically confirms such missile tests – which it says are part of its sovereign right to self-defence – in state media a day later.
PAIR OF MISSILES LAUNCHED
Japan’s coastguard said the first missile was detected soon after 7 a.m. and flew about 420 km (260 miles), followed by a second 20 minutes later that flew about 430 km.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that two “short-range missiles” were fired into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan from North Korea’s east coast.
South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies were analysing the data of the launch for additional information, the JCS said in a statement.
Narang said even short-range ballistic missile tests would be a “step up” from the weekend cruise-missile test, and allow North Korea to improve its technology while sending a proportionate response to recent U.S.-South Korea military drills.
REGIONAL REACTION
The launches overshadowed the start of the Olympic torch relay in Japan, beginning a four-month countdown to the summer Games in Tokyo.
“The first launch in just less than a year represents a threat to peace and stability in Japan and the region and violates U.N. resolutions,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in comments aired by public broadcaster NHK.
Suga said he would ensure a safe and secure Olympics and discuss the launches with Biden during his visit to Washington next month.
Japan lodged a formal protest through its embassy in China, while South Korea’s National Security Council expressed deep concern.
After a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Seoul, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks had emphasised the need to establish peace and stability of Northeast Asia, including the Korean peninsula.
“This means all related countries need to abandon arms race and escalation of military activities of any form,” he said in a news conference.
U.S. POLICY CHALLENGE
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Biden’s North Korea policy review would come within the context of the administration’s strategy on China, North Korea’s only major ally.
“North Korea’s military activities after reaffirming ties with Beijing raise questions about how China is complicit in sanctions evasion and may be enabling the Kim regime’s threats to the region. This will increase calls in the U.S. and elsewhere to sanction Chinese firms involved in illicit trade,” he said.
North Korea has not tested a nuclear weapon or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) since 2017, ahead of an historic meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018.
In early 2018, North Korea announced a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and ICBMs, though it says it no longer feels bound by that after negotiations with the Trump administration faltered.
Biden’s diplomatic overtures to North Korea have similarly gone unanswered, and the North said it would not engage until the United States ceased hostile policies and military exercises with South Korea.
Analysts have noted a change in wording from previous U.S. administrations, emphasising the “denuclearisation of North Korea” rather than the whole peninsula – a position likely to be anathema to Pyongyang.
North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear and missile programmes throughout 2020 in violation of U.N. sanctions dating back to 2006, helping fund them with about $300m stolen through cyber hacks, according to U.N. sanctions monitors.
It has tested a number of new short-range missiles that can threaten South Korea and the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there, most recently in March 2020. (Source: Reuters)
23 Mar 21. Here’s what to expect in Taiwan’s new defense review. Taiwan will soon release its latest Quadrennial Defense Review, with the island’s parliament receiving advance copies of the document, according to the state-run Central News Agency.
The document received by the Legislative Yuan says Taiwan’s military will prioritize deep-strike capabilities as it seeks to improve its defense and ability to delay a potential Chinese invasion, according to CNA. Taiwan is considered a renegade province by China, which had vowed to reunite the island with the mainland by force if necessary.
Taiwan plans to shift its focus from being able to destroy enemy forces landing on its beaches, and instead adopt an asymmetric force structure that can annihilate an enemy at sea prior to making landfall.
The review, which is to be released within 10 months of any Taiwanese presidential inauguration, will also say that Taiwan’s asymmetric systems must be small, mobile, stealthy and numerous for strategic dispersion, taking advantage of the deployment of anti-ship missiles in coastal areas, rapid reaction forces and mine laying at sea. (Source: glstrade.com/Defense News)
23 Mar 21. China cracks down on online military posts. China has cracked down on the discussion of military affairs within its so-called Great Firewall, potentially limiting open-source coverage of the country’s defense developments.
Several accounts that covered Chinese military affairs on the local a social media application Sina Weibo, which is similar to Twitter, were recently suspended. In addition, forums on the Chinese website cjdby.net that discussed developments in the People’s Liberation Army were also closed by the site’s administrators.
These actions come in the wake of a Weibo account run by the military’s official newspaper, the PLA Daily, posting a commentary warning China’s military enthusiasts to avoid being unwitting tools for foreign intelligence services.
The Weibo account, Jun Zhengping Studio, which roughly translates to “Military Discussion Studio,” cited a recent incident where a photo published on social media showed “a weapon that has yet to enter service,” which became “key intelligence” for foreign agencies seeking information on China’s defense and military developments.
It added that this incident was the latest in a string of similar occurrences and warned that even unwitting revelations of military secrets by defense enthusiasts who are otherwise supporters of a strong Chinese military could potentially lead to prison terms.
It’s unclear what recent revelation the commentary was referring to; although in recent months, video of a Xi’an H-6N bomber carrying what is believed to be an air-launched hypersonic glide vehicle as well as photos taken discreetly from a distance showing elements of the internal layout of China’s third aircraft carrier currently undergoing construction at a shipyard near Shanghai first appeared on China’s social media.
The crackdown is potentially detrimental to those who use open-source material to analyze China’s military developments. Other examples of such sources include a regular stream of photos showing the progress of the aforementioned aircraft carrier undergoing construction at Changxing island near Shanghai, sometimes taken by passengers on commercial airliners taking off from or landing at the city’s Pudong airport.
Other open-source material includes images acquired through commercial satellite imagery, which help counter the secretive state of China or sometimes misleading information put out by state-controlled media.
(Source: Defense News)
23 Mar 21. Seoul launches 2021–35 defence technology plan. South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has launched the country’s new long-term plan aimed at developing technologies in key areas of military capability. The new 2021–35 Core Technology Plan, unveiled on 22 March, will provide direction in the country’s efforts to develop “future high-tech” military equipment and systems, said DAPA.
The plan encompasses the requirement to develop capabilities in 140 core technologies across eight areas of core defence capability. These strategic areas comprise: In the plan, each of the 140 core technology requirements is linked to a series of related sub-technologies. For instance, a core technology requirement for autonomous and AI-based surveillance and reconnaissance includes signal processing technologies, which, in turn, include capabilities related to algorithms, scenario modelling, detection, and digital array systems. The 2021–35 plan states that it was drawn up following consultation with the Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces, and is in line with joint military strategy documents and defence policies. The plan outlines an emphasis on supporting the development of technologies through increased defence research and development (R&D) activity by small businesses, independent research institutes, and academia. Civil-military integration is another priority area, it said. The plan is also geared towards supporting South Korea’s wider efforts to replace imports with locally developed and produced systems and components. South Korea has prioritised this requirement, especially in key military platforms such as Korea Aerospace Industries’ KF-X fighter aircraft or Hyundai Rotem’s K2 main battle tank. (Source: Jane’s)
23 Mar 21. Update: air strikes against Daesh. The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq.
Summary
- Monday 15 March – Typhoons struck three Daesh-held caves in northern Iraq.
- Tuesday 16 March – Typhoons hit two Daesh-held caves in northern Iraq.
- Wednesday 17 March – Typhoons destroyed two more Daesh-held caves in northern Iraq.
Detail
Iraqi security forces, spearheaded by their very capable Counter Terrorism Service, continue to mount operations in northern Iraq to eliminate any groups of Daesh terrorists attempting to regain a foothold in the region. Coalition airpower is supporting these operations, and Royal Air Force aircraft have played a significant role, conducting an intensive series of air strikes on Daesh targets south-west of Erbil since 10 March, where the terrorists have sought to establish bases in the numerous caves of the Makhmur mountains. On Monday 15 March, two Typhoons successfully attacked a cave used by Daesh with Paveway IV guided bombs, and later that day a second Typhoon flight struck two more Daesh-held caves with Paveways. Two more caves, in which Daesh had established a presence, were hit with Paveway IVs on Tuesday 16 March, and a further two such caves were destroyed in like manner on Wednesday 17 March.
All of the caves were located in a remote, mountainous area, but nevertheless, very careful checks were made before each strike to ensure that there were no signs of civilians who might be placed at risk.
Previous update
The Royal Air Force has continued to conduct strikes, as part of the global coalition’s support for the Iraqi Security Forces, as they conduct operations to prevent the Daesh terrorist group from re-establishing its presence in the country.
The Iraqi forces recently identified a significant number of Daesh fighters using cave complexes south-west of Erbil. The caves identified were assessed to be particularly difficult targets and two RAF Typhoon FGR4s were therefore tasked to conduct strikes in support of ground forces from the highly-capable Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service.
On Wednesday 10 March they conducted surveillance of the area to confirm that there were no signs of civilians who might be placed at risk, before conducting the first attack using Storm Shadow missiles, which had been selected as the most appropriate weapon for the task. Following the mission, the Typhoon’s weapons were confirmed to have struck their targets precisely.
Further surveillance efforts confirmed two additional locations in the same area were also occupied by Daesh. Two Typhoons conducted precision attacks on the extremists at both locations on Thursday 11 March, using six Paveway IV guided bombs.
RAF aircraft were again in action on Friday 12 March, when they struck another group of caves used by Daesh, with eight Paveway IV bombs; and again on Sunday 14 March, when six Paveway IVs were employed against Daesh-held caves in the same remote, mountainous area.
On each occasion, our aircrew have exercised their utmost care in checking there were no signs of civilians in the area before conducting the strikes and subsequent surveillance to ensure their successful completion. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
22 Mar 21. The U.S. Military Is Worried China Could Start World War III.
In testimony given to the Senate Armed Services Committee, a top Navy official stated that he believes China could attempt to reunite with Taiwan by force within the next six years.
In testimony given to the Senate Armed Services Committee, a top Navy official stated that he believes China could attempt to reunite with Taiwan by force within the next six years.
Speaking to the lawmakers as part of a hearing focusing on China and the Indo-Pacific region, Admiral Philip S. Davidson, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander explained that Chinese arms build-up coupled with more aggressiveness in their near-abroad indicates an increasing willingness to use force to achieve foreign policy objectives.
“I think our concerns are manifest here during this decade, not only on the development – the numbers of you know, ships, aircraft, rockets, etc. that they’ve put in the field – but the way they’re advancing those capabilities as well in combination with everything that you just cited: Hong Kong . . . and Tibet, and a line of actual control in the South China Sea and the East China Sea,” Adm. Davidson explained.
Davidson said he worries about China “accelerating their ambitions to supplant the United States and our leadership role in the rules-based international order, which they’ve long said that they want to do that by 2050. I’m worried about them moving that target closer,” he stated. “Taiwan is clearly one of their ambitions before then. And I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact in the next six years.”
Despite Chinese efforts for freeze Taiwan out of global affairs, the island nation’s very existence has been preserved in part by the United States’ ambiguous policies in relation to Taiwan’s defense, though the nature of the Taiwan-United States relationship might need reevaluation in the future, according to Adm. Davidson.
“I would submit that we’ve got more than 40 years of the strategic ambiguity has helped keep Taiwan in its current status,” Adm. Davidson said. “But you know, these things should be reconsidered routinely. I’d look forward to the conversation.”
More broadly, the Indo-Pacific command is the largest and oldest military combat command, and covers 14 time zones, as well as 36 countries representing over 50 percent of the world’s population. Taiwan may prove to be one of the most important places in the Indo-Pacific command in the near future, a point that was recently emphasized by Adm. Davidson’s recent request to Congress for $4.68bn in Fiscal Year 2022 to beef up their Pacific Deterrence Initiative, created to 2020 to prevent the United States’ competitive edge over China From slipping. In FY2023 to FY2027, Davidson requested an additional $22.69bn.
In a written statement, Adm. Davidson quoted Xi Jinping’s 2019 New Year’s speech, which stated “We do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to use all necessary measures,” referencing reunification with Taiwan. (Source: Pen & Sword/National Interest)
22 Mar 21. Taiwan to deploy upgraded F-16 jets, says air chief.
Taiwan is ready to deploy its upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets for operational missions, with the program to upgrade the entire fleet on track for completion by 2023, according to the Air Force chief of staff.
Lt. Gen. Huang Chih-Wei was addressing lawmakers at Taiwan’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan, when he confirmed that 42 F-16s are upgraded to the F-16V standard. A formal handover ceremony is scheduled for later this month, with President Tsai Ing-wen in attendance.
The upgraded jets, which will be fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, will go to the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Chiayi on Taiwan’s west coast, where the aircraft will become the Air Force’s most capable combat aircraft.
The upgrade program will see a total of 141 F-16s refurbished by Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, or AIDC, with support from Lockheed Martin
The upgraded F-16s are equipped with Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-83 scalable agile beam radar, a new mission computer and upgraded electronic warfare equipment. Taiwan originally requested upgrade packages for 145 F-16s in 2011, but that number was reduced due to attrition.
Taiwan is considered a renegade province by China, which had vowed to reunite the island with the mainland by force if necessary. Taiwan currently has 66 new F-16Vs on order with the United States. Taiwan’s Air Force also operates French-built Dassault Mirage 2000 and indigenous AIDC F-CK-1 fighter jets, and has in recent months been heavily engaged in intercepting and investigating Chinese military aircraft crossing into its air defense identification zone. (Source: Defense News)
22 Mar 21. Here’s what to expect in Taiwan’s new defense review.
Taiwan will soon release its latest Quadrennial Defense Review, with the island’s parliament receiving advance copies of the document, according to the state-run Central News Agency.
The document received by the Legislative Yuan says Taiwan’s military will prioritize deep-strike capabilities as it seeks to improve its defense and ability to delay a potential Chinese invasion, according to CNA. Taiwan is considered a renegade province by China, which had vowed to reunite the island with the mainland by force if necessary.
Taiwan plans to shift its focus from being able to destroy enemy forces landing on its beaches, and instead adopt an asymmetric force structure that can annihilate an enemy at sea prior to making landfall.
The review, which is to be released within 10 months of any Taiwanese presidential inauguration, will also say that Taiwan’s asymmetric systems must be small, mobile, stealthy and numerous for strategic dispersion, taking advantage of the deployment of anti-ship missiles in coastal areas, rapid reaction forces and mine laying at sea. (Source: Defense News)
23 Mar 21. Australia, Naval Group reach agreement on Future Subs program.
The parties have come to terms on key elements of the SEA 1000 contract following protracted negotiations.
Naval Group has committed to spending 60 per cent of the value of its SEA 1000 contract in Australia over the life of the program, after formally signing a revised Strategic Partnering Agreement with Defence.
The amendments, which mark the conclusion of prolonged negotiations, contractually oblige Naval Group to achieve the 60 per cent target in a bid to support the government’s objective of fuelling local jobs growth and bolstering sovereign industrial capability.
Other contractual obligations in the agreement involve establishing procurement organisations in Australia, and requiring Naval Group to approach local industry first for the majority of equipment required for the development of the 12 Attack Class submarines.
Naval Group is expected to continue reporting the level of contract expenditure in Australia over the course of SEA 1000 contract.
Acting Minister for Defence Marise Payne welcomed the new agreement, stating it would generate opportunities for local industry worth “hundreds of millions of dollars”.
“Beyond maximising opportunities for engagement with Australian industry, this will also ensure that the Morrison government’s requirement for a sovereign Future Submarine capability is met,” Minister Payne said
“Importantly, the amendments have been incorporated to uphold the current structure of the Strategic Partnering Agreement, which the Auditor General concluded had established a fit-for-purpose strategic partnering framework that addresses this government’s objectives for the program.
“These include maximising Australian industry involvement in all phases of the program.”
Naval Group global chief executive Pierre Eric Pommellet, who visited Australia last month to meet with Commonwealth government officials, said the firm is “fully committed” to supporting sovereign submarine capability.
“I have been very impressed by the existing capacity of Australia’s manufacturing sector, and its enthusiasm for the Attack Class project,” he said.
“This program will deliver to the Royal Australian Navy 12 regionally-superior Attack Class submarines, which are specially designed for Australia’s unique conditions.
“But it will also create a new and sovereign submarine building industry in Australia. Strong local supply chains will ensure that Australia has new self-reliance in this critical defence capability.”
Pommellet added: “France understands the value of sovereignty. It is one that we share with Australia. This is a very unique program and partnership. Naval Group will deliver for Australia.”
Naval Group Australia CEO John Davis said the firm is already working with local industry in support of the country’s AIC objectives.
“There will be increasing levels of local content in each of the 12 Attack Class submarines, as we continue working with local businesses to boost Australia’s sovereign capability,” Davis said.
“Ensuring that at least 60 per cent of the Attack Class contract value is spent locally will create hundreds of Australian jobs, for the long term, in new supply chains around the country.”
According to Naval Group, it’s program has generated almost 300 direct jobs in Australia, with the workforce expected to double in 2021.
Over 120 local firms have reportedly registered their interest with Naval Group in response to the release of the first local manufacturing package, worth approximately $900m.
“We have been encouraged by the quality of responses to our $900m local manufacturing package for the building of major submarine parts,” Davis added.
“This program has already made great progress in creating jobs and designing the world’s most advanced conventionally-powered submarines.
“There is so much more still to come.” (Source: Defence Connect)
————————————————————————-
Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Home land Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need. A CNIM Group Company
————————————————————————-