Meanwhile, Rex Patrick expresses his views on the saga of Australian submarine acquisitions, stretching back to the days of Collins:
https://michaelwest.com.au/collins-c...-top-of-aukus/
He would have benefited from some time working within Defence HQ, as then he wouldn't be offering comments like: "Defence then recommended to government that Australia embark on the $368B AUKUS program...".
I say again: Peter Dutton stated clearly on an ABC TV interview years back (7:30 Report?) that the AUKUS plan was known to only a hand full of people. So let's make some assumptions: Morrison, Dutton, CDF?, Sec Def?, a few other cabinet ministers?, some ministerial advisers, some go betweens with USA and UK. Already more than a hand full. Where in all this is a real (departmental) "Defence recommendation"? Hey Rex??
Rex makes another revelation in the item (to me at least): "In May [24] former US Navy Dep Assistant Secretary Gloria Valdez handed a report to government stating that LOTE [on Collins class] was a perilously high-risk endeavour" and that this report is being kept secret even from ASC.
While I can understand it is sometimes useful to have a fresh external/independent view of a plan, I am left wondering what resources Gloria had to draw on to make what ever assessment is in the report? I would have expected those in ASC and the Collins sustainment engineers within Defence would have the clearest understanding of the material state of the class and what would be required to extract more life from it. But no, they will later just be blamed for all that has gone wrong... again...