For me it is about maintaining the capacity to do it.
Presumably we want or need these war machines “just in case.” Or we don’t need them at all.
If we end up using them it means that we will be using them at war.
If we are in a war and we need more I don’t want us to have to say please can we have some more to whichever non-Australian power is building them. Rest assured any production contracts will be ignored if they are more sympathetic to whomever we are at war with.
It does not matter if the war-machines are “first time builds” and it does not matter if we do not get it right first time. – I would much rather have this trial and error occur in peacetime when we have no real need for them.
We have a fantastic capacity to do anything including ultra-modern and computer technology which we seem to expend on the best graphics and animations that hollywood can buy. The point is a lot of the sub and ship technology will come from overseas but in time of war we can ramp up.
If we spend money on “Australian Jobs” in Adelaide it will be to retain a basic capacity that all our resources can be poured in to , when or if we need to. Yes that will cost us more in the short term.
Building subs and ships here is an investment in our own national security which interest I believe trumps the others.
I have said all that before but somehow neither side of politics wants to publicly grapple with the politically incorrect idea that we want and need to build for war and we need an autonomous capacity to do that. Just in case.
John Bolton 9th August 2015