Defence shipbuilding review warns delays mean 20-year shortage

Australia faces a collective delay of up to a decade for its replacement fleet of frigates, causing a shortage of warships over the next 20 years, the author of the government’s shipbuilding review says.

Rand corporation’s Joel Predd, who modelled workforce requirements for the government’s shipbuilding program, said the coming defence white paper would need to address the looming delays or risk having fewer ships available for the navy.

“It is really Australia’s decis­ion; they have a choice there: they can either retire on schedule and face a shortfall in the force structure — the number of ships that can be deployed — or they could extend the life of the Anzacs and pay the maintenance bills,” Mr Predd said

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