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Navy chief vows to fix sub crews crisis
Mark Dodd | September 12, 2008
SOLVING the crewing crisis in the navy's six Collins-class submarines is the biggest priority for Chief of the Navy Vice-Admiral Russell Crane and will figure prominently in the Defence white paper.
The crewing crisis has already halved the number of submarines the RAN is able to put to sea.
A fourth Collins-class submarine is not crewless yet but the challenge of retaining and finding extra submariners remains a very real one, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said yesterday.
Yesterday The Australian warned that a continuing shortage of qualified submariners threatened to further reduce the RAN's sub fleet from three to two operational boats.
It followed Kevin Rudd's announcement on Tuesday of a sharper focus for Australia's naval capability to meet future security challenges in the Asian region.
"That doesn't mean we don't face a very significant challenge in manning our Collins-class submarines," Mr Fitzgibbon told The Australian last night.
"And that's why we've got such a focus on the white paper process on our significant people challenges.
"When I appointed Russ Crane as Chief of Navy I told him his first priority will be dealing with navy's people challenges and that is exactly what he is doing."
Admiral Crane was in the process of developing "new and innovative" policies to remedy the navy's personnel problems, which cut across the senior service but are most acutely affecting the submarine fleet.
As a short-term measure, the navy has offered substantive bonuses for qualified submariners to stay in uniform.
The Navy Capability Allowance, worth $112.6million over five years, was approved in April with immediate effect and pays submariners $60,000 for an extra 18-month extension of service.
A new package of retention initiatives in the white paper should remedy the personnel problems by the time a next-generation Collins-class submarine enters service in about 2025, Mr Fitzgibbon said. It is understood the much anticipated Defence white paper originally promised for November is now expected to be released in March.
Mr Fitzgibbon said it was unlikely the navy would ever be able to match private sector salaries.
"Competition for skills is very intense. I don't believe the services can ever hope to compete with mining companies on the remuneration front.
"On that basis, we have to look at new and innovative ways of incentivising people to ensure they make the decision to stay."
Early development problems that plagued the Collins submarine have been fixed and the warship is now regarded as one of the most lethal and capable of its type in the world.
Navy chief vows to fix sub crews crisis
Mark Dodd | September 12, 2008
SOLVING the crewing crisis in the navy's six Collins-class submarines is the biggest priority for Chief of the Navy Vice-Admiral Russell Crane and will figure prominently in the Defence white paper.
The crewing crisis has already halved the number of submarines the RAN is able to put to sea.
A fourth Collins-class submarine is not crewless yet but the challenge of retaining and finding extra submariners remains a very real one, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said yesterday.
Yesterday The Australian warned that a continuing shortage of qualified submariners threatened to further reduce the RAN's sub fleet from three to two operational boats.
It followed Kevin Rudd's announcement on Tuesday of a sharper focus for Australia's naval capability to meet future security challenges in the Asian region.
"That doesn't mean we don't face a very significant challenge in manning our Collins-class submarines," Mr Fitzgibbon told The Australian last night.
"And that's why we've got such a focus on the white paper process on our significant people challenges.
"When I appointed Russ Crane as Chief of Navy I told him his first priority will be dealing with navy's people challenges and that is exactly what he is doing."
Admiral Crane was in the process of developing "new and innovative" policies to remedy the navy's personnel problems, which cut across the senior service but are most acutely affecting the submarine fleet.
As a short-term measure, the navy has offered substantive bonuses for qualified submariners to stay in uniform.
The Navy Capability Allowance, worth $112.6million over five years, was approved in April with immediate effect and pays submariners $60,000 for an extra 18-month extension of service.
A new package of retention initiatives in the white paper should remedy the personnel problems by the time a next-generation Collins-class submarine enters service in about 2025, Mr Fitzgibbon said. It is understood the much anticipated Defence white paper originally promised for November is now expected to be released in March.
Mr Fitzgibbon said it was unlikely the navy would ever be able to match private sector salaries.
"Competition for skills is very intense. I don't believe the services can ever hope to compete with mining companies on the remuneration front.
"On that basis, we have to look at new and innovative ways of incentivising people to ensure they make the decision to stay."
Early development problems that plagued the Collins submarine have been fixed and the warship is now regarded as one of the most lethal and capable of its type in the world.