‘Greatest vulnerability’: Australian Navy chief says protecting undersea cables is ‘existential’
Experts warned there's no single government agency in charge of monitoring, defending and repairing the cables, and no effective deterrent strategy.
Experts warned there's no single government agency in charge of monitoring, defending and repairing the cables, and no effective deterrent strategy.
The prospect of South Korea building its submarines in the United States would raise a litany of questions for the American maritime industrial base.
"Due to the federal budget issues and resultant government shutdown, many of the key speakers who are either active-duty military personnel or civilian government employees are unable to attend the in-person Annual Symposium & Industry Update (ASIU)," according to an email from the Naval Submarine League.
More broadly Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles pledged to continue to increase defence spending to record levels to deliver the capabilities Australia needs.
The new positions, covering submarines and a number of Air Force programs, would report directly to the deputy defense secretary, numerous sources told Breaking Defense.
The Australian government will aim to create 20,000 jobs over 30 years through what the document characterizes as a "whole-of-nation undertaking."
"India desperately needs drones, air defense systems, better tanks and fighting vehicles, fighter aircraft, and especially helicopters," Ian Hall, professor at Australia's Griffith University, said.
Lawmakers say the Navy's "lack of communication" leaves them with few options that will fix the problems at hand.
Most of the money would shore up buys for three Virginia-class subs, while some funding would go to help industry improve its productivity.
“If you are a supplier, and your lead time is too long, and you refuse to work with us” on 3D printing alternative spare parts, said Rear Adm. Jon Rucker, “we're going to figure it out. Not a threat – a fact of life.”
SLCM-N was a priority of the first Trump Administration that Biden tried and failed to cancel. Now Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe has to figure out how to actually build it — without compromising ballistic missile modernization or new hypersonics.
"The safety of our sailors is our top concern, and we must immediately understand any risks associated with the faulty work,” said four top leaders of the House Armed Services Committee.
The analyst credited with initially spotting the sub said its location signals a "significant expansion" of China's capacity for nuclear submarine production.
Several US allies in the region have launched new subs this year, and others are making plans to buy them, reflecting a long-standing focus on undersea warfare that is only intensifying.