The first rule of Defence Strategic Reviews is you don’t talk about Defence Strategic Reviews. You get the capability up and shooting live rounds before a Budget officer or project auditor can put the savings line through you.
That’s how the Army seems to have kicked off the week, with the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle passing its Initial Operational Capability ‘on schedule’ under Project Land 400 Phase 2, a status that will help ring-fence the next stage of land combat vehicles procurement now in the scope of reviewers.
Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart said that after being tested during Exercise Sea Raider, the Boxer “is now employed within the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade”, essentially meaning it’s now ready to go to war and locked-in part of the hardware set.
The ability of Defence to hit milestones and keep to deadlines is under both scrutiny and pressure from Canberra, as Treasury hunts for savings following the change of government.
At the same time, Labor has made it clear it wants defence industries to generate more local jobs and return a sovereign manufacturing capacity for Australia’s military kit bag, as global supply chains come under pressure.
A German design, the Boxer is being delivered from Rheinmetall’s factories in Queensland and Germany, with support from many Australian companies, Defence said.
“Australia has a reputation for building high-quality military vehicles. The Boxer will build on this established national industrial expertise,” Stuart said. “This project is a great example of the way Defence and industry work together to deliver large-scale and complex capabilities.”
Rheinmetall employs 420 Australian staff and is slated to build five different versions of the Boxer, out of its Redbank plant in Queensland, with a total of 211 vehicles slated to be built by 2027. The same facility will be used for future upgrades and repairs.
“This combination of variants and ability to upgrade them here in Australia makes the Boxer an incredibly adaptable vehicle that our modern Army needs,” said Stuart.
“The Boxer will protect our soldiers in high-threat environments as they seek information about an adversary. This information will then help direct our combined arms fighting system for best combat effectiveness,” said the Head of Army
“The Boxer can fight its way out of trouble using its 30mm cannon, and as we have just seen during Exercise Sea Raider, can be deployed from amphibious ships.”
A decision on Land 400 Phase 3 is yet to be announced.
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