'Frank' report ordered on destroyers

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MikeJames
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'Frank' report ordered on destroyers

Post by MikeJames »

More and more it looks like we should have ordered Arleigh Burkes when offered, they'd be in service now, at substantially lower cost.

'Frank' report ordered on destroyers
BRENDAN NICHOLSON THE AUSTRALIAN FEBRUARY 25, 2014 12:00AM

A FORMER secretary of the US Navy and an Australian shipbuilding expert have been appointed to investigate the building for the Royal Australian Navy of three powerful Air Warfare Destroyers, which is facing a massive cost blowout of about $800 million.

Defence Minister David Johnston will announce at a defence conference today that he has appointed the American Don Winter and Australian John White to produce a report on the troubled project, which is Defence's biggest current program.

The two men have been asked to complete their investigation within three months and they have been told to produce a report that is "frank and brutal".

The Australian has been told that much of the project's strategic reserve of hundreds of million of dollars has been used up already with the first vessel only 80 per cent complete and the expected profits of the companies involved in the consortium building the destroyers evaporating fast.

Professor Winter, a physicist with considerable shipbuilding experience, was appointed the civilian head of the US Department of the Navy by George W Bush and served under President Barack Obama.

Dr White played a major role in sorting out problems with the building the building of the RAN's fleet of ANZAC frigates.

Government sources said that even when he was in opposition, Senator Johnston had been concerned about a Coalition government inheriting a "ticking time bomb" in the AWD project.

The Australian has been told independently that Senator Johnston's worst fears are likely to be confirmed in a report by the Australian National Audit Office which is due out soon.

There is also known to be considerable concern in the Abbott government about the need to get the AWD project fixed before a decision is made on whether Australia's shipbuilding industry should be given the biggest Defence project ever taken on in Australia -- the massive task of constructing 12 big new conventional submarines for an estimated $40 billion.

The two men have been asked to examine all aspects of the AWD project including "cost, schedule and quality factors". They will also recommend remedial action.

The first of the new destroyers, HMAS Hobart, was to be commissioned this year but will not now be delivered until 2016. The second, HMAS Brisbane, is to be delivered in September 2017, already 18 months later than originally planned.

According to the Audit Office, the third, HMAS Sydney, won't be delivered until 2019, 21 months after schedule.

Further delays are considered likely.

The government considers the inquiry is needed to get the AWD project back on track as quickly as possible to remove an existential threat to Australia's shipbuilding industry, which is considered strategically crucial by senior naval figures.

The project is headed by government-owned and Adelaide-based ASC, which built the Navy's six Collins Class submarines but which has not previously built a surface warship.
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Re: 'Frank' report ordered on destroyers

Post by RussF172 »

Yes, seems that they should have taken the US up on the offer. I do like after watching media reports about all this that the current coalition government are so quick to blame Labour for the design, shipyards problems and the current delays and cost overruns when it was the coalition Howard government that made the decision in the first place and a rushed one at that. The decision wasn't supposed to be made on the design of ship until the final presentations had been made in Russel Offices in Canberra and about 4 days before the Gibbs & Cox team had even arrived in Canberra, Howard had made the announcement with a very disgruntled looking CN standing next to him saying they were going with the Spanish design. Gibbs & Cox were shattered to say the least. :stupid: There was a story on the local news here on Monday talking about the 900 jobs that will go within 12 to 18 months at FORGACS in Newcastle because the AWD project will be finished (well, their part of it) and there is no new project in hand to keep the workers employed.
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