A US Congressional analyst says the US will not be able to transfer Virginia-class submarines to Australia. Do our admirals care? What’s the scam?
The scam is that despite these warnings from a well-respected research institute of the US Congress, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, the Head of the Australian Submarine Agency, just doesn’t seem to care.
FOI reveals that in an AUKUS-related cable sent to Canberra from the Australian Embassy in Washington, Australian diplomats advised the Australian Government about the CRS report,
DFAT Cable from Washington to Canberra (Source: FOI)
The CRS regularly examines submarine construction and sustainment and the US submarine industrial base. Recently, these reports have included significant analysis on AUKUS and the political commitment to transfer Virginia-class submarines to the Royal Australian Navy.
The latest CRS report into the US Virginia Class submarine program lays it out bare for all to see. It advises that the US will be unable to transfer US submarines to Australia as committed to under AUKUS and suggests alternatives for Congress to consider.
When Senator Shoebridge directed Mead to the content of the report, he did not deal with the content; he ducked the question. Instead, Mead sought to undermine the CRS’ work, “It’s not a definitive document, it’s more an academic document,” he claimed.
What Admiral Mead told Senator Shoebridge (Source: Hansard)
When confronted with an authoritative well respected report, Mead demonstrated an unwillingness or inability to deal with the issues it raised. He responded in a manner unbecoming the uniform he wears. He owes O’Rourke (the author of the report), Shoebridge and the Australian public an apology.
But don’t expect our Defence Department to consider any change in course.
Rudd talking the AUKUS talk in Washington, but is the US walking?
Rex Patrick is a former Senator for South Australia and, earlier, a submariner in the armed forces. Best known as an anti-corruption and transparency crusader, Rex is also known as the "Transparency Warrior."