Canadian delegation visits TKMS yard in Kiel

TKMS released the following statement today:

“Canadian Ministry of Defence delegation visits TKMS in Kiel

Canada's Deputy Minister of Defence, Stefanie Beck, visited the TKMS shipyard in Kiel today. The visit focused on current and future submarine projects and on TKMS's role as a key partner for NATO navies and allied nations.

During a tour of the facility, discussions covered ongoing programs, technological developments in conventional submarines, and international cooperation - including the German-Norwegian #partnership and the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).

The visit also provided an opportunity to address security challenges in the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic. TKMS continues to contribute to strengthening joint capabilities, industrial resilience, and transatlantic security.

The delegation's visit highlights the strategic importance of TKMS as a leading supplier of conventional submarine technology and a reliable partner for the maritime security of NATO”

As we spoke about last week, you can expect to see more of these visits to both Kiel and Geoje in the coming weeks as the government starts to narrow down its partner for CPSP.

Deputy Minister Beck is actually showing up sooner than I expected. Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr met with German officials when they came to Ottawa on the first.

I mentioned then that I expected Deputy Minister Beck to show up in Kiel at some point. I just didn’t expect her to end up there so soon. That might be a good indication that things are moving quickly.

Deputy Minister Beck assumed the role of Deputy Minister of National Defence last June. Before that, she served as Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence back in 2022.

She has also served as Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and has long held roles within Foreign Affairs, dating back to 2006.

So make no mistake, she’s an absolute heavyweight in the public service and absolutely knows what’s going on. She isn’t new to any of this.

She previously visited Hanwha’s yard in Geoje last month while in Korea for the Seoul Defence Dialogue. So now she’s had the opportunity to see both shipyards since the downselection.

I suspect we’re going to see Fuhr meeting with Hanwha next. That might occur at the same time that Carney visits Geoje at the end of the month. He is scheduled to visit while in Korea for APEC 2025.

Assuming that both of them take the trip, that will complete the little checklist of major figures involved in CPSP who have met with officials since the downselection.

After that point, I suspect things will move rather quickly. TKMS has taken a renewed effort to get things done and to secure major partners while the competition is still hot. Supplier Days are still ongoing, and I suspect we’ll hear the first group of Canadian partners shortly after they wrap up.

With everything moving at breakneck speed, it makes you wonder if people expect to make a choice sooner rather than later. We know that CPSP is a key project that has already been moved under the Defence Investment Agency. That means there is a clear desire to get it done quickly.