Originally Posted by
ORAC
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/r...-us-navy-roles
Submariner Lieutenant Matt Main and Chief Petty Officer Stacy Gager have been working with US colleagues as part of the US-UK personnel exchange programme and long-lead specialist skills programme.
Lieutenant Main has already earned his Royal Navy ‘dolphins’ – the unique badge which signifies a qualified submariner – but on 10 June he was presented with the US equivalent after a gruelling 27-month training and qualification process.
Fully integrated into the crew of the USS New Mexico, Lieutenant Main is currently the damage control assistant and will become the assistant engineer in due course before returning to the Royal Navy….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_New_Mexico_(SSN-779)
USS New Mexico (SSN-779), a nuclear powered Virginia class attack submarine…. is the second of the Virginia Block II submarines to enter service….
It seems easier to turn an engineer into a warfare officer, than a warfare officer into an engineer. To some of us this is not a surprise
.If the RAN were to go down the path of selecting both a USN design, and the USN method of crewing them, then the RAN's X branch woud be writing itself out of the picture.That alone makes the USN path unlikely.
Flap Track 6 is saying some things and in such a manner that at least suggest he/she is close to some info. Getting a fourth Western build line going (1 x Aus, 1 x UK, 2 x US) is important. Keeping two design teams and two designs going is also an important consideration. As the QEC proved it is possible to build first-of-class at a site that hasn't done significant builds for a long time - we have gotten better at this stuff.
Given the existing yard capacity constraints and personnel pipeline generation constraints, a LOTE of the Collins is pretty much a given. As is a lot of joint operation and deployment. And a lot of money has gone into Oman. The SSN(R) path seems to have the edge most ways. The more interesting question for some of us then becomes what systems would be selected. Assuming a USN fit being shoved into a first-of-class SSN(R) is perhaps a step too far.