Comments on: John Cochrane on stimulus and defence spending

By: Winston SMITH

Winston SMITH — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:40:55 +0000

The LA class can be hollowed out for other purposes as we build the Virginia class here.
It’s more an options thing.

By: .

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:30:54 +0000

AGreed. The modularity of the V’s is amazing, and we can build the damned modules here. What’s surpsising about the V’s is that the USN is finally showing signs of catching up with the offshore oil and gas industry technology level and operating philosophies with this class.

That’s actually very interesting.

How long (would you guess) until the build quality gets as good as the Los Angeles class?

I’m still pushing the conventionally armed, multiple payload missile carrying boomers…

By: Jim Rose

Jim Rose — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:15:07 +0000

I thought krugman was against the war in Iraq and the surge

By: Mk50 of Brisbane

Mk50 of Brisbane — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:06:58 +0000

AGreed. The modularity of the V’s is amazing, and we can build the damned modules here. What’s surpsising about the V’s is that the USN is finally showing signs of catching up with the offshore oil and gas industry technology level and operating philosophies with this class.

By: Tator

Tator — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:19:49 +0000

MK50,
I would prefer the Virginia Class which due to their modular design would be more flexible to customise and upgrade for Australia’s strategic needs if/when we had them built.

By: Chris M

Chris M — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:04:31 +0000

I’m not a big fan of huge defense spending anyway.

A few cheap nukes should be sufficient? Some other countries think that too.

By: dianeh

dianeh — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:14:24 +0000

Why fake an alien invasion to increase defense spending?

Why not just increase spending on space exploration? Instead of cancelling NASA’s plans, the administration could have supported them, made a case and had the support of the people.

Mankind could be exploring the universe instead of building bloody windmills and wasting money on other green boondoggles and the like.

But I do get it. Krugman doesnt want to use the existing money more wisely, he just wants to spend more on any bullshit things. The Beer Whisperer is right – Krugman is an imbecile.

By: Winston SMITH

Winston SMITH — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:01:11 +0000

Mk50, probably the best way would be to buy four Virginia class subs, and six of the refurbished Los Angeles class. Use the LA class for patrolling and disburse the Virginia Class to threat areas as needed.

By: boy on a bike

boy on a bike — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:49:47 +0000

also leasing USN engineering crews or recruiting retired USN or RN nukey boat engineering staff until we can grow our own.

Shouldn't that be "glow our own"?

By: Mk50 of Brisbane

Mk50 of Brisbane — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:37:34 +0000

Virginias on a combined buy and lease deal. We buy the hulls and weapons systems and lease the propulsion system in the hulls, also leasing USN engineering crews or recruiting retired USN or RN nukey boat engineering staff until we can grow our own. That will take at least a decade.

We’d have to do an ‘Australian content’ deal with the US but that should be reasonably easy.

One alternative is to lease Virginias for set periods. That’s probably a bit harder to arrange.

Another alternative is to buy-and-refit Los Angeles class as the USN retires them (which it does prematurely in quite a few cases, there are some low-mileage LA’s sitting alongside the wharf). Cheaper, but you are talking higher risk of maintenance issues. Thats not actually saying much as the build quality on ever USN nuclear vessel has to be seen to be believed. Theya re simply the best-designed and best-built vessels ever made.