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For the first time since 1989, an Air Force Hercules transport aircraft has flown to Antarctica.
On February 29, a No. 37 Squadron C-130J took off from Hobart Airport for the 3400km sojourn across the Southern Ocean to the ice runway at Wilkins Aerodrome.
The flight required the use of a C-130J equipped with external fuel tanks, which increased its total fuel capacity from 19 tonnes to 27 tonnes.
The last time a RAAF Hercules touched down on Antarctic ice was in 1989, when C-130Hs from No. 36 Squadron flew missions from Christchurch in New Zealand to the American station at McMurdo.
Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Mr Kim Ellis, said the flight south to the 3.5km ice runway took about 7.5 hours.
“The Hercules delivered 780 kilograms of cargo to Australia’s expeditioners at nearby Casey research station and demonstrated the ability to carry a larger load if required,” Mr Ellis said.
“This is another great capability the Australian Antarctic Program now has to reach our stations, deliver cargo and provide medical support to our people working in Antarctica.”
The Hercules also carried additional fuel inside its cargo compartment.
At Wilkins Aerodrome, this fuel was pumped into the Hercules’ tanks by an Australian Army Ground crewman from 6 Aviation Regiment.
Commander Australian Contingent for Operation Southern Discovery, Wing Commander Dion Wright, said the flight was one of the longest-range missions undertaken by an Australian C-130J Hercules.
“Using the C-130J provides additional capacity for the RAAF to support the Australian Antarctic Division rather than by relying on the C-17A Globemaster alone,” Wing Commander Wright said.
On February 27, a C-17A delivered a tractor and critical station equipment to Wilkins.
This included a Ground Power Unit to support the Airbus A319 transport operated by the Australian Antarctic Division, and runway grading equipment.
It returned with eight pallets of cargo and 23 passengers.
On February 29, a second C-17A mission brought another tractor to Wilkins and returned to Hobart with eight pallets of cargo and four passengers.
Since 2016, Air Force C-17As have provided airlift support to the Australian Antarctic Division, making up to six flights during the summer season.
For Japan and the international community, the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden are extremely important sea lanes.
In response to the piracy incidents in the area, Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) takes measures for counter-piracy operations.
Legislation Concerning Counter-Piracy Operations
In March 2009, for the purpose of protecting Japan-affiliated vessels from acts of piracy in the waters off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyers began providing direct escort to Japan-affiliated vessels, while JMSDF P-3C patrol aircraft also commenced warning and surveillance operations in June the same year.
In July the same year, in order to deal appropriately and effectively with acts of piracy, the Anti-Piracy Measures Act made it possible to protect the vessels of all nations from acts of piracy.
Activities by the Self-Defense Forces
Deployment Surface Force for Counter Piracy Enforcement (DSPE)
The DSPE conducts counterpiracy measures using JMSDF destroyers (one destroyer dispatched). The DSPE strives to ensure the safety of ships navigating in the area in two different manners – direct escort of private vessels across the Gulf of Aden, and zone defense in allocated areas in the Gulf of Aden. There are Japan Coast Guard (JCG) officers aboard the JMSDF destroyer.
The DAPE conducts counterpiracy activities using JMSDF P-3C patrol aircraft (two aircraft dispatched). The unit conducts warning and surveillance operations in the flight zone that is determined in coordination with the CTF 151 headquarters and confirms any suspicious boats. At the same time, the unit also provides information to the JMSDF destroyers, the naval vessels of other countries and civilian vessels, responding by such means as confirming the safety of the surrounding area immediately, if requested. The information gathered by JMSDF P-3Cs is constantly shared with other related organizations, and contributes significantly to deterring acts of piracy and disarming vessels suspected of being pirate ships.
In order to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the DAPE, the DGPE carries out activities such as maintenance of the facility.
In addition to this, coordination with Government of Djibouti, the U.S. and other countries which are operating in Djibouti is one of the important tasks.
In order to strengthen coordination with the units of other countries engaged in counter-piracy operations and enhance the effectiveness of the JSDF’s counter-piracy operations, the MOD has dispatched JSDF personnel to the CTF 151 Headquarters since August 2014. During the period from May to August 2015, JSDF personnel assumed command of CTF 151 for the first time. The fourth commander is currently in office.
Disaster Relief Operations
In response to the damage caused by the heavy rain in Djibouti, a part of JSDF originally deployed for anti-piracy operations conducted water pumping in elementary school and junior high school as one of the international disaster relief operations from November 26 to December 2, 2019.
The counter-piracy operations by JSDF have been highly praised by the international community. For example, national leaders and others have expressed their gratitude, and JSDF has also been repeatedly well-received by the United Nations Security Council Resolution.
Although the number of acts of piracy occurring in the area has currently hovered at low level, considering the fact that the assumed root causes of piracy such as terrorism and poverty of Somalia have still remain unresolved and Somalia’s capability to crack down on piracy is still insufficient, there is no great change in the situation which calls for counter-piracy operations.
The MOD/JSDF will continue its utmost efforts to conduct counter-piracy operations.
This article was published in the March 2020,Japan Defense Focus.
The Australian Offshore Patrol Vessel or the Arafura Class OPV program is the launch program for the new Australian approach to shipbuilding.
Termed a “continuous shipbuilding process,” the core point is to have an ongoing shipbuilding effort, rather than a start and stop approach built around a single platform naval acquisition, one at a time.
But the new approach is more than that. It is about shaping a new industrial-government partnership and having a new role for the lead contractor working with Australian suppliers.
This article is the first of three.
I have had the chance to visit the Henderson shipyards, and an opportunity to talk with Luerssen and CIVMEC, the two partners in the Australian Maritime Shipbuilding and Export Group (AMSEG).
In a May 26, 2018 press release, Luerssen provided an update on their partnership with CIVMEC:
One of the world’s leading shipbuilders, Luerssen, has teamed with Australian engineering and construction firm Civmec to create a new force in naval shipbuilding and exports.
The joint venture, Australian Maritime Shipbuilding & Export Group (AMSEG), will partner Luerssen Australia, the prime contractor and designer for the Australian Government’s Offshore Patrol Vessel program, with West Australian-based Civmec, soon to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.
It is intended that AMSEG will play a significant role in the build of ten OPVs in Henderson, Western Australia and in driving an export shipbuilding business that will target opportunities around the region.
The joint venture will be chaired by one of the nation’s foremost naval experts, former Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral (ret) Chris Ritchie.
“This new company will be governed by an Australian board and operate under Australian management to build world class naval vessels in best practice Australian shipyards,” Vice Admiral (ret) Ritchie said.
“We will invest in Australian skills and infrastructure and transfer expertise from SEA1180 prime, Luerssen Australia, to develop capability and support the foundation of a sustainable naval shipbuilding industry that is able to export to the global market.”
Executive Chairman of Civmec and AMSEG Director, Jim Fitzgerald, said the formation of the new company was further evidence of the commitment the SEA1180 industrial team had made to materially growing Australia’s shipbuilding industry.
“This is a huge step forward for Australia’s shipbuilding industry. It is an exciting development that will fully underpin the development of the new state of the art shipbuilding facility at Civmec’s Henderson headquarters,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
Mr Fitzgerald’s comments were echoed by Tim Wagner, Managing Director of Luerssen Defence and AMSEG Director.
“Luerssen has always believed in the vision of the Australian Government’s Naval Shipbuilding Plan and wanted to not only be a part of it, but to help make it a reality.”
“We set up Luerssen Australia in May 2017, today we have announced this important joint venture and later this year we will open applications to our program which will fund scholarships and apprenticeships for aspiring Australian shipbuilders. The future of Australian naval shipbuilding looks bright,” Mr. Wagner said.
In this article, the focus of attention is upon Luerssen; the next article on CIVMEC; and the third on the OPV team for the Commonwealth of Australia.
With regard to the partnership, Luerssen Australia Pty Ltd is the prime contractor with the Commonwealth and CIVMEC is its WA based ship building partner. The AMSEG JV is focused in the short to medium term on sustainment activities and future builds outside of SEA1180.
In the graphic below, I have conceptualized how one might look at the partnership between Luerssen and CIVMEC and the roles and interactive relationship between the two partners. This working relationship is clearly a partnership, a point which was emphasized throughout my visit to Henderson. It was highlighted as a collaborative, close, mutually shared objectives partnering approach for the partners.
During my visit to Luerssen at the Henderson Shipyard, I had a chance to meet with Enrico Kestel, SEA1180 (OPV) Training Manager and Mick Handcock, SEA1180 (OPV) Senior ILS engineer.
While I am not going to quote them directly, I will highlight takeaways I had from our conversation, my visits in Perth and Canberra, and my review of public statements, press releases and articles by other analysts of the program.
The first key takeaway is that the major challenge facing Luerssen is that it is both responsible for delivering the program to the Commonwealth and is also engaged in setting up a company in Australia.
Lürssen is an integrated shipyard in Bremen, Germany with habitual working relationships with their suppliers; in Australia, Luerssen is taking the Germany expertise in design and build and applying it to Australia but working with a new group of suppliers to shape the new build process in Australia.
The second key takeaway is that it is a new build process.
It is a digital design and build process.
The design is worked in Bremen, reviewed and confirmed by Luerssen Australia at the build site which for the first two OPV’s is being done at the BAE/ASC Adelaide yard at Osborne.
When I visited the CIVMEC facilities in Henderson, one could see the digital process in operation, where the robots under the supervision of the CIVMEC team were translating design to production.
A key advantage of this process is that the production process clearly identifies where the parts being fabricated have come from, up to and including the suppliers.
This leads to a significant quality increase as there is significant transparency through the digital build process.
In fact, Vice Admiral (Retired) Tim Barrett underscored the importance of the new process for the shipbuilding approach being put in place:
“The Luerssen -CIVMEC partnership is meant to create a new workforce under the tutelage of Luerssen (particularly in manufacturing in digital shipyards) rather than merely compete for an existing (pre-digital) workforce.
“This is an important feature in a long-term sovereign ship building capability.”
The third takeaway is that an ongoing dialogue between Luerssen and the team in the Department of Defence working OPV is absolutely crucial to the effort.
And in Bremen, there are members of the Australian OPV team as well working directly with the design side of the build process.
It is clearly crucial to align expectations on the project for both industry and the government, and the team talks multiple times daily with regard to the ongoing effort.
In my words, what is crucial for success with the new approach is “expectation management,” rather than having a requirements list operating as a sledgehammer by government to gain industry compliance.
It is a very different process if one wants to build a ship which is delivering capabilities for a concept of operations; rather than building a platform to a narrow set of pre-set requirements.
The fourth takeaway is that for the Germany company, it is operating in Germany with an Industry 4.0 process which is how the digital build and sustainment process is then realized.
For this to work effectively, all of the suppliers as well as Lürssen must have the proper data flowing through the system to ensure the kind of accuracy and predictability of the build understood as a workflow process.
A challenge in Australia will be for Luerssen Australia and the Commonwealth to have a supply chain that can operate at Industry 4.0 standards and provide the flow of the quality and reliability of the data required to shape an effective build process flowing into the integrated logistics process as well.
This clearly is a work in progress.
For the launch of the contract, the Commonwealth mandated a set of key suppliers, but in managing these suppliers and adding other Australian SMEs, Luerssen works a proposal to the Commonwealth with regard to vendors and terms of working with the vendors, and the Commonwealth then makes a decision for Luerssen to implement.
The tender for the Capability Life Cycle Manager (CLCM) role within what is termed the OPV Enterprise, essentially the combined Government and industry “sustainment team”, has just been released. An industry day was scheduled to be held on March 16, 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus impact.
But given the nature of the very different build process, it is clear that the approach to logistics will be shaped differently as well from a legacy shipbuilding process.
A key aspect of the ILS solution set will be to craft a fleet wide logistics solution for the OPV over the full Life of Type (LOT) up to and including disposal of the fleet.
How this will be done is a work in progress, and a significant aspect of the program going forward, but clearly, getting the work process data flow right in the build process will facilitate getting the work process data flow for sustainability right as well.
And that is a key part of the new approach associated with “continuous shipbuilding.”
It is not just about a build; it is about having a sustainable fleet built around a digitally upgradeable ship.
In a later article, I will address the configurability and modular aspect of the ship and why from the Navy’s perspective the design offered by Lürssen provided the kind of flexible space and power necessary for the projected future for the ship.
Appendix: The Key Suppliers on the Offshore Patrol Vessel Project
The above table comes from the SEA 1180 Phase 1 Offshore Patrol Vessel Public Plan published in October 2018.
This document added the following as well:
Luerssen Australia Pty Ltd, an exciting new entrant to the Australian defence industry landscape, is contracted by the Commonwealth of Australia (Commonwealth) as the Prime Contractor responsible for building 12 Offshore Patrol Vessels for the RAN. Construction will start in November 2018 and is expected to be completed around 2029/2030.
Luerssen is a subsidiary of a long established and successful shipbuilding group in Germany and it will quickly build its capabilities and staff in both Adelaide, SA, and Henderson, WA, to establish fully operational program management, support and engineering design capability. Luerssen has selected as its shipbuilding sub-contractors two key industry players which will offer maximum Australian involvement:
ASC OPV Shipbuilder Pty Ltd which will build the first 2 OPVs in Osborne, South Australia, and Civmec Construction & Engineering Pty Ltd, located in Henderson, Western Australia, where they will build the next 10 OPVs.
The current total contract value (until 2030) is $1,988 million expressed in constant year dollars exclusive of GST or $2,570 million expressed in out-turned year dollars exclusive of GST.
The portion representing Australian contract expenditure is currently estimated (prior to all sub-contracts being finalised) at $1,220 million in constant year dollars exclusive of GST. The AIC value has potential to grow as the program proceeds including opportunities to increase Australian industry participation linked with design reviews at ships 3, 6 and 9.
Luerssen has contracted with the major subcontractors identified in the table below to manage the majority of construction and supply activities associated with the program.
In addition to these shipbuilders Luerssen will directly engage a number of Australian companies including many Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to perform work under the contract. The scope of work to be performed by these companies includes manufacturing, logistics, engineering services, project management, supply of specialist equipment items and provision of contract labour supporting contract deliverable activities.
According to a lead in by WA DEFENCE REVIEW to a video interview they did in 2018 with Peter Lürssen:
As a leading global shipbuilder, the Lurssen Group has successfully entered the Australian market, and is now heavily invested in the build program for the Royal Australian Navy’s offshore patrol vessel.
In late October Lurssen Group CEO, Peter Lurssen, gave an exclusive interview to WA DEFENCE REVIEW and talked about the company’s current activities and future interests in Australia and neighbouring regions.
Electronic Attack Squadron One Three One (VAQ-131) assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington participated in Red Flag 20-1 at Nellis Air Force Base as the role of air superiority.
The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Carney (DDG64) arrived in Cape Town for a planned port visit on Sunday 15 March, but all activities have been curtailed to minimize the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Planned as the US Naval Forces Africa’s effort to build global maritime partnerships with African nations in order to improve maritime safety and security in the region, its arrival was ahead of the ship’s participation in Exercise Obangame Express off Africa’s West coast later this week.
However, as a result of global efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19, Spokesperson for US Navy Sixth Fleet, Commander Kyle Raines, told defenceWeb that all public tours and crew outreach events that were previously planned for the port call had been cancelled.
“The health and safety of our crew and host nation is our top priority,” he explained. “No one on the ship has visited any high-risk areas or has shown any symptoms to indicate that they should be tested for COVID-19.
“Medical personnel aboard the ship are monitoring all crew members and visitors daily for any COVID-19 symptoms and are prepared to take appropriate actions as necessary.”
Before leaving port on Tuesday 17 March, the ship was still able to refuel and replenish ship stores. Whilst most planned activities whilst in port were halted, the crew did experience “the local culture in vicinity of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.” The ship also had the opportunity to host US Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Lana Marks.
Whilst USS Carney was in port, the US military’s Africa Command (Africom) announced that Exercise Obangame Express 2020 had been cancelled in response to the global effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19.
Obangame Express is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of participating nations to counter sea-based illicit activity.
With no further requirement to participate in Obangame Express, USS Carney will continue on its seventh patrol in the European and African theatre in support of US national security interests.
The USS Carney, operating in the US 5th Fleet Area of Operations, recently supported maritime security operations and ensured freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce while assigned to the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group and the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group before conducting a port visit in Port Victoria, Seychelles.
Following Carney’s patrol, the ship will return to its homeport in Rota, Spain where it will make preparations to homeport shift back to Mayport, Florida later this year.
The report highlighted that Australia imports over 90% of its’ medicines and is at the end of a very long global supply chain making the nation vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has acknowledged these supply chain risks and have noted that at times there may not be enough of a specific medicine in the Australian marketplace, leading to potential weaknesses in supply.
Australia is particularly vulnerable to medicine shortages arising from factors outside our control.
These factors can include manufacturing problems, political instability, pandemics, another global economic crisis and natural disasters.
The COVID-19 ‘pandemic’ has seen a significant increase in public discussion about supply chains and exposure to shortages of critical items because of long, complex and global supply chains.
The pandemic could significantly impact the global medicine supply chain given the global dependencies on China’s pharmaceutical industry.
In February European Union health ministers raised concerns over the potential for drug shortages if the COVID-19 outbreak continued to keep China in a near lockdown.
Last week, concerns over supply chain shortages led the Indian government to place limits on the export of 26 pharmaceutical ingredients and the medicines and vitamins made from them. India is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of drugs, with the US and Europe heavily reliant on the supply.
A 2019 United States Congress Commission hearing regarding the US dependence on China for medicines highlighted that even the US, our largest individual source of imported medicines, does not have a robust understanding of its own supply chains.
The Commission concluded that an over reliance on foreign production for critical medication is a national security risk.
We would be foolhardy to think that our situation is any less risky.
The Australian national strategic stockpile of medicines and protective equipment has also been in the headlines.
The stockpile was established in 2002 as a part of the Government’s anti-terrorism strategy and is intended for use in public health emergencies such as pandemics and biological attacks. Images of the health minister in a huge warehouse can be vaguely reassuring to a population fearing the virus.
However, the IIER-A report concluded that while the national stockpile will be essential to protect Australians during a national health emergency, it will do little to help on a day-by-day basis if supply chains break down, if national distribution networks falter, if pharmaceuticals are contaminated or if the local pharmacy or hospital run out of something.
Last week, Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said his department was “very actively looking, both internationally and locally” at sourcing key products, including drugs, protective masks and medical devices, in response to the disrupted supply of medicines and ingredients out of China.
Professor Kelly said that the two most crucial medicines the government would need to stockpile were antibiotics and antivirals.
This action does support the conclusion that the strategic stockpile is not adequate to address both a health and a supply chain crisis concurrently.
Of particular concern is the just-in-time nature of Australia’s supply chains.
While just-in-time makes sound business sense, it makes Australians vulnerable to disruptions in the supply chain, be they inadvertent or deliberate. The Sigma Healthcare boss, Mark Hooper, was reported in the AFR as saying that our three national wholesalers hold six weeks of products … If [the coronavirus] turns into a six-month exercise, then there are potential issues [with supply].”
So how do other countries address this issue?
Finland, for example, mandates stockholding levels on pharmaceutical companies, importers and health care units. Stockholdings vary from 3 to 10 months depending on the medicine; there are 1457 medicinal products in the list of mandatory reserve supplies that are visible to the public. Companies are compensated yearly by the Finnish Government for the cost of maintaining these reserves.
Australians have no such visibility of the details of their national strategic stockpile nor of stock levels in our commercial supply chain.
Photos of Health Minister Greg Hunt in a warehouse are not as reassuring as actual information. While it is not practical for Australia to become fully self-reliant, the resilience that would be provided by an increased level of indigenous, or more appropriately called ‘sovereign’, capability needs to be determined.
Clearly Finland takes a much more comprehensive approach to mitigating its exposure to supply chain risk and vulnerability that we do in Australia.
We need to have a robust analysis of our medicine supply chains and the Government needs to address any shortfalls in our national resilience before another crisis occurs.
Sadly, we may already be too late.
The featured photo shows Health Minister Greg Hunt touring one of the National Medical Stockpile warehouses in January.
U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command (SPMAGTF-CR-CC) 19.2, work together, in Kuwait.
The SPMAGTF-CR-CC is a multiple force provider designed to employ ground, logistics and air capabilities throughout the Central Command area of responsibility.
KUWAIT
02.07.2020
Video by Sgt. Robert Gavaldon
Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response – Central Command
As the Japanese focus on strengthening the perimeter of their defenses of Japan, new systems are being procured and modifications to platforms being made.
The purchase of Ospreys and F-35s both As and Bs, along with the modification of Japanese helicopter landing ships are entailed as Japan looks to its enhanced island defense.
At Iron Fist, the Japanese and USMC have worked closely together in evolving the skill sets involved in amphibiosity.
In an article published on February 19, 2020 by Gidget Fuentes the working relationship between Japan and the USMC was highlighted:
This year’s Iron Fist exercise marked the first time this group of 310 Japanese soldiers – 3rd Company with 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment Landing Team – launched from a ship and landed ashore in a coordinated mission alongside Marines, who earlier had launched their AAVs from the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD-27).
“We wanted to pursue the concept with them of ‘separate but synchronized,’ so headquarters and staffs working together and synchronizing,” Capt. Coleman Fuquea, an artillery officer and exercise planner with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, told USNI News. “But on the tactical level, U.S. and our Japanese allies would fight in separate battle spaces.”
While a platoon of Marines and Japanese soldiers wouldn’t clear a building together, they would operate together with “separate objectives, separate battle spaces,” Fuquea said. Planners designed the scenarios with two main battle spaces – one Marine, one JGSDF – but with “a synchronized mission and synchronized staffs to facilitate that.”
The JGSDF light-infantry troops spent several weeks training with various I Marine Expeditionary Force units at Camp Pendleton’s ranges. Then they embarked their AAVs and trucks onto Portland and Pearl Harbor at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., and trained and rehearsed beach landings at the offshore training range on San Clemente Island before the Camp Pendleton beach landing….
The Japanese force wasn’t training to seize an island – Japan’s constitution prohibits offensive military operations – but rather is building and strengthening its capabilities for maritime security, including defending islands from an invading force. The scenario is a real and ongoing threat to Japan, an island-nation whose 3,000-plus islands include contested claims by China and other countries, including the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Island defense is critically important, JGSDF officials said at the Jan. 21 opening ceremony, as activities along other fronts including North Korea and Russia threatens Japan’s security. Senior military leaders have been vocal, especially in recent years, over the seriousness of the threats that Japan faces, and particularly from China’s recent expansive operations across the region that have rattled its neighbors….
Like in prior years, San Diego-based Expeditionary Strike Group 3 is providing the logistical L-class ship lift for the soldiers, since no Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels have participated in Iron Fist, although several JMSDF officials observed the exercise.
“It would be great in the future if we could get a Japanese L-class ship here,” Fuquea said, adding “what we’d really like to see in the future is force-on-force training and have the U.S. and the Japanese more of a sparring-partner relationship. That allows unit leaders… to get a thinking adversary.”
Incorporating that into Iron Fist training in coming years as the Japan continues to build and strengthen its ARDB working with the U.S., he added, “I think it would have radical benefits to us both.”
