🧵Australia's General Purpose Frigate (GPF) |

With rumours abounding that some form of decision may be due soon on 🇦🇺's GPF it is worth taking a look back at how we got here, & re-emphasising why time is critical. 1/
(Image: HMAS Darwin - not relevant here, but a great frigate) 🧵 Importance: 🇦🇺 as an island nation, almost all of its imports/exports go by sea.
Current Surface Combatant Fleet Fleet: 🇦🇺 presently has 3 x Hobart Destroyers (2017-2020), 7 x ANZAC Class frigates (1996-2006). 2/
(Image - A point to remember)

🧵Australia's border security is an issue and it's time for a fresh look at the structure and capabilities required to support it. 1/

abc.net.au/news/2024-08-0… 🧵Whilst its perfectly reasonable that with the 3rd largest exclusive economic zone in world, 🇦🇺 will find undetected irregular migrants and illegal fishers within that zone. This should not be cause for extreme concern. 2/

🧵It is largely expected that the first of Australia’s biennial National Defence Strategy (NDS) & an unclassified version of the Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) will be released tomorrow.

The biennial was a key recommendation of the 2023 DSR.

defence.gov.au/about/reviews-…
🧵The IIP is a living doc, 1st established in 2015. It outlines intended budget allocations for capability acquisition & sustainment. It has only been publically released twice, 2016 & 2020. My article below explains the broad issues 👇

aspistrategist.org.au/no-pot-of-gold…

🧵And so it begins - the lead up to the Australian budget & the National Defence Strategy which is due out shortly - the rhetoric that we need to cut defence projects to accelerate capability.

amp-9news-com-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.9news.…
🧵I certainly agree we need to prioritise capabilities, we cannot do everything, and we cannot afford an unending wish list of capabilities. It’s a conversation of risk and balance.