New Submarine Capability Branch
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FM CN AUSTRALIA
R 110135Z NOV 09
SUBJ: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SUBMARINE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT BRANCH IN NAVY
STRATEGIC COMMAND
1. IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT DIRECTION IN THE WHITE PAPER, NAVY HAS EMBARKED
ON A MAJOR REFORM PROGRAM TO IMPROVE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE COLLINS CLASS
FLEET AND WHICH WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT A SOLID FOUNDATION IS LAID FOR THE FUTURE
SUBMARINE (FSM) FORCE.
2. I HAVE DIRECTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SUBMARINE CAPABILITY BRANCH
(SMCB) WITHIN NAVY STRATEGIC COMMAND (NSC) IN CANBERRA FROM 1 FEB 2010. THE
SMCB (10 STAFF APPROX) WILL BE LED BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL SUBMARINE CAPABILITY
(DGSMC) AND WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO ME THROUGH HNC FOR THE OVERALL DELIVERY OF
THE FUTURE SUBMARINE CAPABILITY TO NAVY, NOTING THAT FLEET COMMAND WILL REMAIN
RESPONSIBLE FOR FORCE GENERATION OF THE CURRENT SUBMARINE FLEET.
3. BROADLY, THIS CHANGE WILL REQUIRE COMMODORE SUBMARINES TO RELOCATE
FROM FBW TO NSC TO BECOME DGSMC. CAPT SM WILL BECOME THE COMMANDER
SUBMARINE FORCE (COMSUBFOR) WITHIN FLEET COMMAND AND CO STIRLING WILL ASSUME
RESPONSIBILITY AS SENIOR NAVAL OFFICER WESTERN
AUSTRALIA (SNO-WA).
4. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SMCB RECOGNISES THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES NAVY
FACES IN REBUILDING AND THEN GROWING THE SUBMARINE CAPABILITY TO MEET THE
FUTURE FORCE STRUCTURE AND THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBMARINE
CAPABILITY WITHIN THE ADF. IT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THE COMMAND STRUCTURE NEEDED
TO MAKE OUR SUBMARINE FORCE AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE.
5. THE DETAILS OF THIS RESTRUCTURE WITHIN THE SUBMARINE FORCE AND NSC ARE
CURRENTLY BEING WORKED BY THE RESPECTIVE STAFFS, WITH THE SMCB EXPECTED TO
EVOLVE TO ITS FINAL FORM BY DEC 2010.
6. CN SENDS
ENDS