AIDN issues statement on AUKUS submarine announcement

AIDN has congratulated the Australian government for what has been achieved since the AUKUS announcement 18 months ago to get Australia a step closer to acquiring a nuclear submarine fleet.

“AIDN looks forward to having the opportunity to work closely with Government and Defence on ensuring that Australian Industry, in particular the SME community, are able to compete in a fair and equitable way to secure meaningful work in this program,” stated AIDN in a media release.

“Today the Albanese Government committed Australia to becoming the 7th country to operate nuclear submarines, the ultimate deterrent capability for a nation. Today the ADF and industry have begun a journey that will completely redefine these organisations, this is a national transformation program.”

AIDN pointed out that it is imperative that the government commits to ensuring that as much activity as possible is undertaken by Australian companies.

“It is imperative that the Australian Government works closely with our partner Governments to ensure that Australian Industry is front and centre for all discussions. There needs to be a robust mechanism in place to ensure that the required transfer of IP, technical knowledge and knowhow is transferred seamlessly between the partner countries.”

AIDN’s membership, it stated, “provides the full range of capability required, from professional services, engineering services, education, training, manufacturing, program support, combat and electronic systems and componentry that this program will need to utilise, all these companies need is the support of Government to ensure that they can be given the opportunity to do so.”

According to AIDN, looking ahead, there will be a significant requirement to achieve new certifications, the highest levels of cyber and IT security and export/ import requirements, in order to become part of the nuclear submarine chain.

The Australian workforce will be required to upskill in capacity and capability and the numbers of individuals for this program, across all disciplines will be significant.

“It is vital that a robust and auditable policy and procurement framework is implemented to ensure the Albanese Government’s AUKUS capability requirements are achieved as efficiently as possible, particularly in light of the rapidly evolving geopolitical climate. The future of the Australian Defence Industry depends on a framework where their role in delivering capability requirements is clear, and the procurement process is efficient and accessible to local industry and importantly, SMEs.

“Today’s announcement will shape the outcomes for Australia both strategically and for the Australian Defence Industrial base potentially for decades. If there is not careful consideration for the role of the Australian Defence Industry, then this will be a failure for the Australian Defence Industry and the future of defence innovation and sovereign advanced manufacturing.