The fact that all but one of our Collins Class submarine fleet is out of action leaves a gaping hole in our defence strategy.
These boats were trouble from the start. Submarines are supposed to be " silent but deadly " - and the Collins Class were noisy boats from day one. Huge sums of money were spent trying o get them to perform, but now it seems the Department of Defence has given up.
In an emergency situation only one boat is capable of putting to sea - and we are assured that the role of submarines is essential in defending this country.
Unfortunately replacement is a long process. Even if such a project got the nod today it would be years before the first new boat arrived. Until that happens, it looks like we are stuck with these six under performing craft - and more outlay to even have them reach a state of minimum performance.
Time to cut our losses rather than throwing good money after bad.
Time to go back to the drawing board - and to fill the gap it might be a good idea to try and lease several replacements from a friendly foreign navy.
And this time - make sure that the procurement people get it right !
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