Korean submarine visits Canada as military procurement nears decision
South Korea's newest submarine has docked in Victoria as Canada prepares to decide between Korean and German bids for a historic submarine procurement worth billions.
A cutting-edge Korean submarine pulled into Victoria's CFB Esquimalt on Saturday, kicking off joint military exercises with the Canadian Navy and intensifying the already-high stakes of Canada's historic submarine procurement decision.
The Dosan Ahn Changho, built by South Korea's Hanwha, represents one of two finalists competing for a contract to build up to twelve new diesel-electric submarines for Canada. Germany's TKMS is the other bidder. The federal government is expected to announce its choice in coming weeks.
The submarine's arrival is part of a planned joint exercise, but the timing—with procurement decisions imminent—puts the vessel on display as a sales pitch. Two Canadian submariners, Lieutenant-Commander Britany Bourgeois and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jake Dixon, boarded the sub in Hawaii last week and will accompany it during exercises.
Bourgeois, a ten-year submariner and naval warfare specialist, noted the contrast between Canada's aging Victoria-class fleet and the modern Korean vessel. "It's kind of like buying a brand-new Tesla and then you're coming out of a '99 Honda Civic," Dixon said of the comparison.
Canada's submarine fleet is in crisis. Of four Victoria-class submarines, only one is currently operational; the other three are under repair. A new fleet would transform Canadian maritime capabilities in the Arctic and Pacific. The Royal Canadian Navy needs 1,000 submariners to operate twelve modern vessels—a significant recruitment challenge that the Navy says is already underway.