A new book reveals the problems Australian political and military leaders faced in making the most important naval acquisition in a generation.
, his predecessor, had developed a strong relationship with Abe; they shared similar politics that hewed towards right-wing nationalism and unwavering support for the United States.
Like his prime minister, he wanted Australia’s submarines built in Japan. It is what the United States and Andrew Shearer wanted, too – a quick fix so Australia, and Japan, could join the United States in facing down a more assertive China, which was challenging Western control of the South China Sea.Abbott instructed his defence minister, Kevin Andrews, to set up an expert advisory panel to oversee what he called a “competitive evaluation process” for the navy’s future submarine fleet.
Along with a design team, Gould set about drawing up the precise specifications needed for the boat to. He says he remembers sitting around the table in 2015 with Defence Department secretary Dennis Richardson and the Australian chief of defence. He told them he had a plan he and his team had been working on for the past two years: “We will select three potential suppliers of submarines. We will give them the design that we’ve done, and we will tell them: ‘Now you give us your solution’.
In 2015 Gould was replaced by a former US rear admiral, Stephen E. Johnson. Johnson would shed his role as a consultant and take on an extraordinarily powerful role in the Australian government: a full-time position as deputy secretary of defence. All submarines make noise, some of it created by the rotation of the propeller, which causes bubbles in the water known as cavitation. There’s also direct noise from the turbines, the propellers and water flowing over the hull when the boat is travelling faster than 10 knots .
Gathering information using submarines is a highly technical and dangerous business. If a submarine is discovered, it can put the lives of the crew at risk, not to mention the diplomatic fallout from a “friendly” neighbouring country. It’s fair to say that the Defence Department had reasonable grounds not to reveal the exact frequency of the sound that was causing the problem.
He says that in one heated exchange he confronted a Defence official, telling him, “Look, this is crazy – you’ve only got one decent vehicle. Don’t f--- about.” Gould said he thought he made himself “a bit unpopular, actually, at the time, because I was only consulting”.
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