2021 boosting our northern border protection

Smart experienced people with "war wounds" know that any likely dispute will require archipelagic designs and suggest governments should incentivise operators to ensure that any new coastal vessels have:-

• Beach landing capability
• Cabins for 17-19 crew
• Extra dry and reefer stores
• Communications centre fitted to receive "plug & play" military communications.
• Fitted for but not with Helipad capability
• Axle loadings for LAND 121 vehicles
• Vehicle deck fitted with power and plumbing to receive containerised accommodation, ammunition magazines and fuel tanks

A really significant benefit of such an arrangement is that the dormant contract can be written to align vessel availability to contingency response times. The overseas ships on dormant charters notice times vary between instant and 30-days.

A second advantage is that ongoing commercial operations guarantees that what Defence receives is a proven and practical working vessel, compliant with applicable regulations. Furthermore, most such charters include the vessels' crews, either as Naval Reservists or Government civilian mariners, according to the envisaged concept of operations.

These dormant charters could easily be incentivised by the Government providing the loan guarantee and the capital cost of the extra requirements. Treasury would easily ascertain that this is a very economic way to boost border protection capability and active training facilities.

These small coastal vessels often work on a schedule visiting several ports and include 2-3 berthings/sailings a day in different port conditions, which is perfect training for navigators and deck officers. With diesel electric multi-screw propulsion, bow thrusters and automated cargo handling equipment these would be engineering and electrical training centres that any Navy would envy. The helipad is an ideal aviation training platform for Naval and fleet air operations.

When no commercial work is required, the vessels can be used to support the Pacific Step-Up, while effectively conducting reconnaissance of accessibility of any beaches and facilities they use, of local attitudes (humint) and of the prevailing electromagnetic environment.

Most coastal vessels have sizeable underdeck tank capacity to carry fuel to remote communities, in the event of conflict, this extra fuel would be of key importance.

These dormant charter support vessels have two significant advantages in not requiring Defence capital budget expenditure, and not having to run the slow and costly gauntlet of the naval vessel acquisition process which more than often results in unproven designs unfit for task.

Logistically a highly mobilised fleet accessing all small ports, improves the frontline options for emergency response, border protection and defence as a whole.

Can someone with the vision of Admiral Henderson and a bit of spine make a simple thing like this happen in the face of the ponderous bureaucratic processes we are burdened with today