Open letter to Canadian submarine crew

The game is over.

Canada chose Germany over Korea to procure 12 next-generation diesel-electric submarines.

Debating who won or lost the bid is no longer meaningful.

As someone who served for more than two decades as a submariner, my primary concern is not the outcome of the procurement process, but rather what kind of submarines will safeguard Canada's national security over the next 30 to 40 years.

A submarine is not a piece of equipment that can be replaced as easily as an automobile.

Once commissioned, it serves as an important national asset for nearly four decades.

Therefore, procurement decisions should be guided not by political considerations or temporary public opinion, but by the future operational environment and threats a nation is expected to face.

This procurement reminds me of Australia's Future Submarine Program in 2016.

Australia signed a contract worth approximately 40 trillion won to acquire 12 diesel-electric submarines from France.

Yet only five years later, Canberra cancelled the agreement and established AUKUS with the United States and the United Kingdom, fundam ...