RADM Wendy Malcolm: Regional Maintenance Centres will provide confidence and opportunity for industry to support Australia’s growing Naval Fleet

While it’s shipbuilding and acquisitions that usually get the headlines, it’s effective sustainment that ensures the Royal Australian Navy’s?fleet is available and capable when and where it is needed.

“We spend more on sustainment over the life of a vessel than we ever do on its acquisition,” CASG Head of Maritime RADM Wendy Malcolm explained to a room full of SME leaders at Nova Systems’ inaugural SME Summit.

“There’s a good reason for that. Without effective sustainment, that capability is a very large, very expensive piece of metal.”

Australian owned and operated SMEs can play a key part in sustaining our Royal Australian Navy (RAN) fleets. And what it means for industry is there is going to be a long lifetime of work.

The tonnage of Australia’s naval fleet will increase by 132% in key areas by 2048.

A new vessel will be delivered every year until the 2050s.

“We’ve got a number of things that are going to create catalysts and opportunities that might not come again for a very long time,” RADM Malcolm said.

Three years ago, Defence introduced Plan Galileo; a new model for continuous maritime sustainment from the beginning, and which focuses on local capability.

This approach allows the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to better plan a vessel into service and its through-life sustainment.

“It also allows our industry partners to know what will be required of them well ahead of time,” RADM Malcom said.

“That certainty will provide the confidence for them to invest in equipment and the personnel they need. This is only going to become more important as our fleet grows in weight and becomes more complex under the Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise.”

Bringing sustainment to the fleet by establishing Regional Maintenance Centres (RMC) across the country improves safety, efficiency, and industry’s ability to support the RAN.

The first Regional Maintenance Centre in Cairns was awarded to NORSTA Maritime; a 100% Australian owned and operated joint venture of Nova Systems, Norship, Tropical Reef Shipyard and Secora. It will lay the foundations for a concept at other sites around Australia.

“What we are seeing in Cairns is local providers coming together to provide the best for Defence outcomes,” RADM Malcolm said.

The Commonwealth Government has plans to establish four RMCs around the four major naval homeports or support facilities in Cairns, Darwin, Henderson and Sydney.

?*RADM Wendy Malcolm is a senior executive and naval officer at CASG.