The strange submarine saga: the industry policy puzzles
24 Aug 2020|Graeme Dobell
Australia has spent 40 years building its own submarines.
For subs (and ships) we do defence as industry policy. Build our own naval muscle and build our economy. Protect sovereignty and protect jobs. The capability must have Australian content.
Today’s vogue phrase is ‘sovereign industrial capability’, a concept hammered at with more than 30 references in the 2020 defence strategic update and force structure plan.
The Covid-19 pandemic has given new meaning to the defence discussion of the need for a robust and resilient industrial base.
We don’t necessarily have sovereign industrial capability in priority areas, but we’re sure planning to get it—or regain what we’ve lost. Australia now proclaims the need to ‘have access to, or control over the skills, technology, intellectual property, financial
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-strange-submarine-saga-the-industry-policy-puzzles/
