2020 has been a big year for the nation, Defence and defence industry, with major projects reaching critical stages in the design, build and delivery phase transforming the Royal Australian Navy well into the next decade.
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In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, hosts Phil Tarrant and Steve Kuper discuss the year that was for the Royal Australian Navy as it continues to embark on a generational transformation of its platforms and capabilities and the role Australia’s growing defence industry is playing in this transformation.
As part of an ongoing series of the Defence Connect podcast leading up to the end of the year, the pair discuss the top ranking stories in the Maritime & Undersea Warfare domains according to engagement by the Defence Connect audience – this includes a focus on programs like the Royal Australian Navy’s SEA 1180 Arafura Class offshore patrol vessels and concerns around ‘upgunning’ the vessels.
Building on this, the pair discuss the recent arrival of the Navy’s next-generation fleet replenishment ship NUSHIP Supply and the key capabilities it will deliver to the Royal Australian Navy and allies as they operate in the Indo-Pacific.
Tarrant and Kuper also discuss content covering the rising power of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its ongoing transformation as a carrier power, as well as the ongoing French Navy program to replace and supplement the force’s aircraft carrier, the FNS Charles de Gaulle, with a design similar to the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier.
Finally, the hosts discuss US Marine Corps Commandant General David Berger’s push to field a growing number of ‘Lightning Carriers’ to support distributed operations with a growing number of F-35Bs to complicate adversary decision making processes, the successful participation of Australian frigate HMAS Ballarat in the US Navy’s Nimitz carrier strike group, and US Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday’s push to develop the US Navy’s next-generation destroyers.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:
Episode 510: CONTESTED GROUND: Iran’s collapsing sphere of influence
Episode 509: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: Understanding the ever-changing landscape of regional property investment
Episode 508: PODCAST: A proud history of providing debate and connecting sailors, with Mark Schweikert, federal president, Navy League of Australia
Episode 507: SPOTLIGHT: GWEO – protecting Australian sovereignty, with Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control’s James Heading
Episode 506: CONTESTED GROUND: Ukraine’s freedom of manoeuvre in the information domain
Episode 505: SPOTLIGHT: AUKUS Pillar II – how technology sharing is strengthening our national security, with FAS Stephen Moore and Dr Nigel McGinty
Episode 504: PODCAST: Unleashing Australian know-how to grow military power fast, with John Storey, Institute of Public Affairs
Episode 503: CONTESTED GROUND: The intersection of national security and Australia’s declining economic performance
Episode 502: SPOTLIGHT: Developing risk frameworks for Defence, with Atturra’s Andrew Balmaks
Episode 501: CONTESTED GROUND: Maritime competition drives need for an Australian Coast Guard, with Jennifer Parker