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 495: SPOTLIGHT: Navigating the rising tide of trusted autonomy, with Dr Greg Bain and Brigadier James Davis
Episode 494: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: 10 common property mistakes and how you can avoid them
Episode 493: PODCAST: How geopolitics must influence Australia’s force posture, with Mike Pezzullo
Episode 492: CONTESTED GROUND: Where does the misinformation bill leave free speech?
Episode 491: SPOTLIGHT: Engaging the national innovation ecosystem, with DSTG’s Dr Robert Hunjet
Episode 490: SPOTLIGHT: Protecting your data as Australia moves to an AI future, with Hrvoje Hančević-Grabić from IT Strategy Hub
Episode 489: SPOTLIGHT: Scaling advanced manufacturing, with Anduril’s Brian Schimpf and David Goodrich
Episode 488: SPOTLIGHT: How quantum will revolutionise PNT and RF sensing, with DSTG’s Andrew Seedhouse and QuantX’s Andre Luiten
Episode 487: DEFENCE PROPERTY PODCAST: Investing in property from post to post
Episode 486: SPOTLIGHT: Quantum – revolutionising Defence, health and energy – with Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s chief scientist