Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/1532351
Commander Ashley Hunt, Project Manager, Canadian Patrol Submarine Project AND AN INTERVIEW WITH: Captain(N) Martin Drews (Ret'd), Director, Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards Peter Karounos, Director In Service Submarine Programs, Serco Ian Krepps, Vice President Growth, Thales Canada Gordon Szczepski, Director & Acting Head of Engineering & Technology, Babcock Canada MARTIN DREWS: I think when we look at this question, we must approach it from the perspective of the worst-possible scenario. And that is a scenario where global supply chains are dis- rupted because of a longer, larger conflict where global sea lanes are contested. To ad- dress this as we've seen in Ukraine and back to the Second World War, you must put your in-service support capabilities as far away from the conflict zone as possible. But the solution is not straightforward. Global supply chains and economic interdepen- dencies make it difficult. The answer needs 12FEBRUARY/MARCH 2025 www.vanguardcanada.com I N T E R V I E W B Y VA N G U A R D S TA F F FOR SUSTAINING CANADA'S FUTURE SUBMARINE ASSETS IN-SERVICE SUPPORT STRATEGIES Commander Ashley Hunt Project Manager, Canadian Patrol Submarine Project Peter Karounos Director In Service Submarine Programs, Serco Captain(N) Martin Drews (Ret'd) Director Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards L ast November, Vanguard me- dia hosted the 5th annual Deep Blue Forum in Ottawa, the theme was – Preparing for the in-Country Support of a New Submarine. The first panel focused on in- service support recognizing that subma- rines are the most complex and sophisti- cated platform built. As noted through the discussion, in-service support is one of the hardest jobs out there. It deals with a num- ber of large ticket aspects such as budget constraints, resource constraints, supply chain challenges, tech obsolescence, work- force management and training. Adopting a plan for a holistic approach to asset management would likely deliver significant benefits to in-service support for a new class of submarines. Cdr HUNT: Q: Marty, what are the top sustainment capabilities we need to have in Canada to support the submarine fleet now and into the future? What elements do we have now that are succeeding, that we should keep? What areas do you think we should focus on for improvement?