Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships: Adrift in Inflationary Waters

CNR, Vol. 11, No. 2 (2015)
Abstract - Winner of the 2015 CNMT Essay Competition

The winning essay in the 2015 CNR essay competition focused on the AOPS, and the implications of a budget being eroded as time passes. In his essay, “Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships: Adrift in Inflationary Waters,” Ryan Dean examines the effects of inflation on the AOPS because of the five year delay in their construction. He examines three inflation scenarios – using a 9% inflator, 7% inflator and an ‘adjusted’ inflator – to calculate how many ships can be built with the budget as set in the NSPS. His article illustrates very effectively the impact that the years have had on the number of AOPS that can be built. Dean concludes that even in his best case scenario, the government’s promised six to eight ships is not even close to possible without an increase to the budget. Given a budget that is already beginning to pinch, he raises the question about the implications on the much bigger construction project of the Canadian Surface Combatants which is supposed to follow the AOPS.

Ryan Dean is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science, University ofCalgary.

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