By Robbin Laird In the first part of this article, I posed the question: What does it mean to be a supplier to such an effort in which the prime contractor is tasked to deliver ongoing capabilities and contribute those capabilities across the force, rather than to provide simply capabilities defined…
By Robbin Laird I have focused in recent months on the shaping of the integrated distributed force as the core outcome of shaping a sixth-generation force. At the heart of being able to do so is to have C2/ISR systems operating on platforms which allow for synergy management, or the…
By Lieutenant Geoff Long and Lieutenant Commander Kristen Russo Sydney residents had a first glimpse of their city’s namesake ship with the arrival of NUSHIP Sydney at Garden Island today. The last of the three Hobart-class destroyers joining Navy’s fleet entered Sydney Heads and made her way through the harbour, with contractors…
By Robbin Laird The first time I met Vice Admiral (Retired) Tim Barrett was at the 2016 Williams Foundation Seminar in which he addressed the evolving role of the Australian Navy in the transformation of the Australian Defence Force. He provided a keynote presentation to the August 2016 Seminar on…
By Robbin Laird 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…
By Robbin Laird 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…
In a March 5, 2020 article published on the UK Ministry of Defence website, it was announced that "a review that will revitalize the UK’s defence and security industrial sectors and improve productivity has been launched." The review will identify how the government can take a more strategic approach to ensure…
By Robbin Laird This week I have had the opportunity to visit Western Australia. I visited both the Henderson shipyard and HMAS Stirling, the Collins submarine base. I will write in detail about those visits and discussions at the two facilities in the near future. These visits when combined with…
