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Australian specialist and tactical watercraft manufacturer The Whiskey Project Group has announced new appointments to their Australian and United States boards.
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Colonel (Ret’d) John Lowry III has been appointed to the TWPG Australian board and Major General (Ret’d) Paul Kennedy has been appointed to the group’s United States board, the company has confirmed in a recent statement.
Lowry previously served as Assistant Secretary in the US Department of Labor where he oversaw the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, having previously served for 15 years in the United States Marine Corps and another 10 years as a Marine Corps Reservist.
He also served as general manager at Harley Davidson and chief operating officer of Allied Recreation Group.
Kennedy joins the board having served as the commander of several infantry units, before serving as the legislative assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corp and Marine Corps Public Affairs Chief.
The pair will support TWPG’s continued expansion into the US market, TWPG founder and managing director Darren Schuback outlined.
“At this critical time in TWPG’s growth, John Lowry brings crucial expertise in supply chain management and growth. Additionally, his work on veterans’ employment and his service in the USMC aligns him with TWPG’s key ethos: to create operator-focused watercraft that provide optimal performance and protection for those who risk their lives in the maritime environment – the watercraft we wish we had.
“Paul Kennedy and John Lowry’s deep understanding of the strategic environment, as well as their unmatched leadership and expertise in the nexus between politics and defence policy, will prove invaluable as TWPG expands its US-based operations, focusing on the development of next-generation tactical watercraft for military, law enforcement and maritime rescue agencies.
“Paul Kennedy’s expertise has helped us refine our approach to and engagement with the US market. A critical capability gap exists for supporting ‘stand-in forces’ engaged in littoral and distributed operations. Our tactical watercraft, designed to carry lethal, low-signature and mobile forces, fills this gap by enabling reconnaissance, sensing and tactical manoeuvres and providing maritime logistics support.”
The announcement comes days after the company confirmed that it had been selected to deliver two all-aluminium Landing Craft Light for use on the Royal Australian Navy’s ADV Reliant.
The company claims that the new capabilities will be faster and more capable than legacy craft.
Measuring at 15.4 metres, it is larger than the current Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel that are often used on the ADV Reliant and HMAS Choules and is capable of carrying 4.5 tonnes of cargo, including a light vehicle, containerised stores or up to 30 personnel, The Whiskey Group revealed. While it is powered by triple 300 hp diesel outboard motors.
The construction of the capability is scheduled to begin in August 2024 in the company’s Yamba yard on the north coast of NSW.
The design of the vessel is based off the company’s Pioneer multi–purpose utility craft.
