Opinion: Building Australia’s industrial capability to support and deliver next-generation defence capabilities is an essential step towards building and enhancing national sovereignty. However, much still needs to be done to entrench Australian industry in these supply chains, explains AIDN National CEO Brent Clark.

In August 2015, Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews (then respectively prime minister and defence minister) committed to a continuous build of warships in Australia, stating: “It’s the first time that any Australian government has committed to a permanent naval shipbuilding industry.”

The 2016 Defence White Paper (DWP) reaffirmed the government’s intent to implement a continuous build of both frigates and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched Australia’s long-awaited naval shipbuilding plan in May 2017, including the construction of submarines, frigates, and offshore patrol vessels, costing AU$89 billion, in Australian shipyards.

“This is a great national enterprise. This is nation-building. This is an end to the boom-and-bust pattern that we’ve seen with shipbuilding in Australia,” Turnbull said. “This is the largest investment in our defence capability of our Navy ever in peace time.”

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https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-enablers/11887-opinion-growing-australian-industry-involvement-in-the-supply-chain?utm_source=DefenceConnect&utm_campaign=02_05_23&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1&utm_emailID=0d74806f70a4591a26ef5b8e36de54fbf70aa824891996eb857c71e99970a3c2