Yeah it does Canuck, and still without any proper assessment by the NACC office as per their original operating guidelines. This should be the time when this is dusted off and carried out. But I fear that whilst a delay or essentially a coded shelving of the JSF is in the works by Smith, the fact that there is no mention of a proper review or assessment being carried out, just further inference of " buy more Super's" means that the fundamental failings that caused this debacle are still here.
It's time to start a genuine open compattion to replace the RAAF's Classic Hornets. Expect bids from Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen, Super Hornet and Strike Eagle - and the F-35A. Make sure there are carefully developed KPI's including performance, price and delivery schedule for FOC by 2018(probably rules out the F-35A).
If it's necessary to quickly replace the most worn Classics, buy another squadron of Super Hornets and then run a compettion to replace the Supers by 2020. Maybe the F-35 will be ready by then.
The problem I have with Australia's perceived needs is that the strategic assessment underlying the arguably flawed Defence White Paper 2009 and associated 10 year Defence Capability Plan requires urgent review.
The hugely bureaucratic defence planning system is lumbering along on the pretext of not having another White Paper generated until 2015; yet a couple of former Secretaries of Defence have now been tasked by the Minister to reshape present planning!
The whole defence planning process is based on support of largely foreign-parented defence industry instead of maintaining adequate and credible military preparedness. Too many proven capabilities that could have been cost-effectively enhanced have been shed with capability gaps emerging all over.
Regular updates of the strategic scenario by national intelligence agencies should be what largely governs defence capability planning, which needs to be much more flexible than locking in commitments to benefit industry.
4 comments:
Sounds like the purchase of more F18 supers.
Yeah it does Canuck, and still without any proper assessment by the NACC office as per their original operating guidelines. This should be the time when this is dusted off and carried out. But I fear that whilst a delay or essentially a coded shelving of the JSF is in the works by Smith, the fact that there is no mention of a proper review or assessment being carried out, just further inference of " buy more Super's" means that the fundamental failings that caused this debacle are still here.
It's time to start a genuine open compattion to replace the RAAF's Classic Hornets. Expect bids from Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen, Super Hornet and Strike Eagle - and the F-35A. Make sure there are carefully developed KPI's including performance, price and delivery schedule for FOC by 2018(probably rules out the F-35A).
If it's necessary to quickly replace the most worn Classics, buy another squadron of Super Hornets and then run a compettion to replace the Supers by 2020. Maybe the F-35 will be ready by then.
The problem I have with Australia's perceived needs is that the strategic assessment underlying the arguably flawed Defence White Paper 2009 and associated 10 year Defence Capability Plan requires urgent review.
The hugely bureaucratic defence planning system is lumbering along on the pretext of not having another White Paper generated until 2015; yet a couple of former Secretaries of Defence have now been tasked by the Minister to reshape present planning!
The whole defence planning process is based on support of largely foreign-parented defence industry instead of maintaining adequate and credible military preparedness. Too many proven capabilities that could have been cost-effectively enhanced have been shed with capability gaps emerging all over.
Regular updates of the strategic scenario by national intelligence agencies should be what largely governs defence capability planning, which needs to be much more flexible than locking in commitments to benefit industry.
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