Vanguard Magazine

ever-evolving needs of the VCS to ensure that Canada can take full advantage of a safe and highly capable fleet for years to come. As the incumbent, you can take nothing for granted. We know that more can be done and we are pushing the en- velope to bring new technology and new approaches to the program. As Canada's partner in the VCS Sustainment Enter- prise, Team Victoria-Class will continue to strengthen what has been built over the last 12 years, and together we will continue to drive down costs and increase the availability of the VCS. Our team has the Canadian capability, the established Canadian supply chain, the intimate plat- form knowledge and an approach that will continue to demonstrate value to Canada, and for Canadians. Q Earlier you spoke to the number of highly skilled jobs and the strength of the Canadian Supply Chain. Can you provide some more details on the economic benefits VISSC has delivered for Canada? Since the original VISSC program was awarded in 2008, Team Victoria-Class has been proud to provide best-in-class solu- tions for the Royal Canadian Navy's sub- marine fleet. Our team has contributed over $2.05 billion in GDP impact into the Canadian economy and over 2,000 Ca- nadian jobs are maintained annually. The economic impact of the VISSC program is being felt across the country, from as far east as Newfoundland to as far west as Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Q Congratulations on qualifying for VISSC II. How do you see that program developing? Thank you. We're really excited about what lies ahead and are extremely proud to have been offered the opportunity to continue to deliver support to the Victo- ria-Class submarines. VISSC II provides Canada with an opportunity to further enhance its established submarine sustain- ment expertise and ensure the Victoria- Class submarine fleet receives world-class support through to end-of-life. As many will understand, experience takes time to build and VISSC II will enable Team Victoria-Class to leverage the successes we have achieved and experience we have garnered to continue to respond to the www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 25 PersPeCtive Sponsored Content "our team has the canadian capability, the established canadian supply chain, the intimate platform knoWl- edge and an approach that Will continue to demon- strate Value to canada, and for canadians." Purpose built submarine repair facility at the Esquimalt Graving Dock Laura Osmond (Babcock Naval Architecture Technologist), Sheldon Loveless (BMT Senior Technologist) and Jon Watson (Seaspan VSL Production Manager), members of Team Victoria-Class, assessing maintenance tasks onboard HMCS Corner Brook.

• Cover