Kokoda Papers #11: Australia's Future Surface Combatants (2010) By Brice Pacey
 
Force 2030, Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century, or the Defence White Paper 2009, announces the Government’s intention to acquire a new class of eight Future Frigates, to purchase up to 20 new multi-role Offshore Combatant Vessels and to consider the need for a fourth Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyer. These vessels will form part of a larger force used for maintaining freedom of navigation, protecting shipping, and lifting and supporting land forces.
But the future roles for Australia’s next-generation surface combatants have been contested. At the time that the Defence White Paper 2009 was drafted the weight of professional opinion supported a continuing role for surface combatants across a broad spectrum of plausible contingencies. Nevertheless, there was recognition that the main objections relating to the utility and survivability of these vessels in the 2030-2050 timeframe would need to be examined further and in considerable detail leading up to the next Defence White paper, in 2013-14.
 
This study examines the influences on and options for the shape and size of Australia’s future surface combatant force in light of the capability priorities identified the Defence White Paper 2009. It is designed to contribute to thinking about these major defence investments and encourage further constructive discussion and debate.
 
Soft Cover
75 pages
In good condition