Both of the Royal Australian Navy’s largest warships have been found to have a fault in their propulsion systems, Australia’s top military officer has told a Senate committee.
During a Senate estimates hearing on Oct. 29, Chief of the Defence Force Admiral Mark Hammond said a defect had been found in the propulsion systems of the navy’s two landing helicopter docks, HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Canberra.
Leading Seaman Aviation Support Trent Gomm marshals an Army CH-47F Chinook from C Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment, while another Chinook conducts a deck landing during training aboard HMAS Adelaide off Australia’s east coast. Courtesy of the Department of Defence
Hammond said HMAS Adelaide was currently being repaired, and HMAS Canberra’s defect would be fixed once that work was finished.
In the meantime, the smaller HMAS Choules would cover the navy’s amphibious and domestic support tasks, “ensuring Defence retains an appropriate level of contingency response capability,” he said.
However, the admiral did not say what the defect was, how long the repairs would take or what they would cost.
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Ships’ Retirement Not Ruled Out
Earlier in the hearing, Liberal Senator James Paterson asked whether the retirement of the two ships would be brought forward, after reports that Defence was reviewing its budget.
HMAS Canberra was commissioned in November 2014, followed by HMAS Adelaide in December 2015. Both vessels have an expected service life of about 30 years.
Defence Department Secretary Meghan Quinn did not rule out the possibility, saying the department regularly reviewed its projects and the performance of its industry partners.
“We assess what’s happening, and then we respond to the circumstances that we face,” she said.
Quinn said Defence was following its usual end-of-year budget process and denied a broader review was under way, adding that she could not rule out “changes to any of the programs in the department.”
Mine Hunters Could Go Early
Vice Chief of the Defence Force Air Marshal Robert Chipman said the department was looking at retiring the navy’s crewed mine hunters—ships that detect and clear sea mines—as early as this financial year, and replacing them with robotic systems.
He said that could save up to $100 million, depending on negotiations with industry.
A double eagle mine disposal vehicle is launched from HMAS Yarra near Jervis Bay. Courtesy Department of Defence
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Matt Buckley said the robotic systems had been tested for more than a year and could be rolled out on a larger scale over the next 12 to 18 months, once the government made its final decisions.
Paterson said that suggested “a potential gap in capability,” but Buckley disagreed, saying there would be a deliberate transition phase as experienced crews moved across to the new systems.
“I would not anticipate that there will be a gap in our ability to clear mines,” he said.
Hammond added that robotic systems had already cleared Sydney Harbour ahead of the navy’s fleet review earlier this year.
Paterson Questions Transparency of Changes to Defence Projects
Chipman also told the committee that of 18 projects delayed or scaled back under the plan, only about eight could be discussed publicly, with the rest involving capabilities that could not be talked about in an open hearing.
One of four projects dropped altogether is also being kept confidential on national security grounds.
Paterson said the committee could not judge the government’s decisions if they were kept secret. He also pointed out that answers to written questions on the issue, due in early September, arrived the night before and on the morning of the hearing.
Quinn apologised for the delay, blaming miscommunication between the department and the minister’s office.
Murray Watt, representing the defence minister, rejected Paterson’s description of the changes as cuts, saying defence funding had increased substantially. He said Paterson could seek a confidential briefing on the projects that could not be discussed publicly.
