Vanguard Magazine

18 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com INTERVIEW THE WAY FORWARD VICTORIA-CLASS MODERNIZATION: BY TERRI PAVELIC AN INTERVIEW WITH Capt(N) ALEX KOOIMAN COMMANDER CANADIAN SUBMARINE FORCE A s the world grows more contested, continental de- fence grows in significance, of which submarines are part of a valuable tool set. Canada continues to invest in the Victo- ria-Class submarines and expand the fleet's capabilities. Recognizing that the end of their service lives will take Canada to the late 2030s there is discussion and the an- nouncement of a small team to look at the future Canadian Patrol Submarine Proj- ect. The future submarine capability must accurately reflect the needs of the Royal Canadian Navy for the 21st century. In May of this year, Capt(N) Alex Koo- iman was appointed as the Commander Canadian Submarine Force, recently Van- guard had the opportunity to speak with him. A native of Pointe Claire Québec, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy as an ROTP cadet in 1988. After completing initial Naval Warfare Officer training in 1993, he served in the Canadian Subma- rines Okanagan, Windsor, Corner Brook, and Victoria, as well the Dutch subma- rine HNLMS Walrus. He commanded HMCS Corner Brook between 2009 and 2011 and later HMCS Victoria between 2013 and 2015. He also served as Com- mander Submarine Sea Training between 2015 and 2016. He assumed the position as Maritime Forces Pacific Chief of Staff Plans and Operations in July 2021 and held that position until May 2022. Q Can you please give the readers an assessment of the current state of the Victoria-class submarine fleet and, as we are now coming out of the pandemic, how have the support organizations (both military and commercial) have coped with availability and capability? It has been a busy year for the Canadian Submarine Force (CANSUBFOR). His Majesty's Canadian Submarine (HMCS) Victoria, which returned to sea in Sep- tember 2020, spent much of 2021 con- ducting crew readiness training and force generation of new submariners from the West Coast. Victoria is now alongside and preparations are underway for its sched- uled Extended Docking Work Period (EDWP). HMCS Corner Brook is nearing completion of its EDWP, led by its in-ser- vice support contractor, and we expect the submarine will soon complete its camber dive milestone in preparation for its return to sea this winter. HMCS Chicoutimi is in the midst of its Transition Docking Work Period (TDWP), which will align its fu- ture maintenance periods to a cycle of nine years of operations followed by a three- year docking work period. This cycle will increase reliability by doing more correc- tive maintenance. Additionally, opportuni- ties to install new capabilities or upgrade equipment during these scheduled main- tenance periods will be created, notably to sonar and torpedo upgrades. On the East Coast, HMCS Windsor took part in Exercise CUTLASS FURY in autumn 2021, providing excellent train- ing for the submarine, surface vessels and participating air crews alike before return- ing to sea in June 2022. Over the summer, Windsor's crew successfully completed so- nar and torpedo trials at a specialized test- ing facility in the Bahamas. Its success was a testament to the enterprise approach to submarine safety in operations. The staff at our Fleet Maintenance Facilities, Forma- tion Technical Authorities, the Technical and Systems Authorities in Ottawa, and our industry partners here at home, as well as in the United States and the United Kingdom, worked together to deliver this capability. They did so while adapting to challenges posed by the ongoing COVID pandemic, and for that they have earned my respect and admiration. Q Personnel and training issues are always a critical path to maintain- ing a submarine capability - given that the pandemic restrictions have had a significant impact on fleet training and operations of navies worldwide, what are your concerns and plans for Submarine Force rejuvenation post-pandemic? During the COVID Pandemic, there was no loss of at sea training capacity. The number of personnel requiring training is relatively small and we were able to quickly modify and adjust our training program so

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