This morning I met with UK High Commissioner Victoria Treadell and US Chargé d’Affaires Michael Goldman to sign the AUKUS Exchange of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information Agreement. Many analysts have speculated that the main goal of the task force involved in the study is to provide a recommendation on which submarine to build - the Virginia class or the Astute class. The research is said to be in its early phases, with the specifics still being ironed out, as previously noted by EurAsian Times. Collins-class submarine – WikipediaĪs part of AUKUS, Australia’s former government pledged to acquire nuclear-powered but conventionally armed submarines from either the United States or the United Kingdom.Īs part of the contract, an 18-month study is being conducted “to seek an optimal pathway to deliver” nuclear propulsion technology to Australia. This capability gap faced by the Royal Australian Navy and the rising threat from China in the Pacific has given way to widespread speculation that either the submarine will be built overseas or purchased from either of the two AUKUS partners. Only six Collins Class submarines are currently in service with the Australian Navy. The cancellation of the deal has created a looming capability gap, necessitating upgrades and life extensions for the Collins-class submarines until the first nuclear-powered submarines could be built in Australia. He says the program was "unprecedented" and a hugely significant expression of trust because it involved the sharing of technology which was a "core national defence capability" 2/ /KJuB07wy5v The Ambassador begins by describing the future submarine program which was scrapped by Australia. The US President, however, claimed later he assumed France knew that Canberra was planning to scrap the deal in favor of a new one. The French contract’s unexpected termination sparked a diplomatic crisis, prompting France to recall its ambassadors from Australia and the United States. To that end, it signed a strategic pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, a move that was termed a “stab in the back” by France. All options are on the table,” he said in a statement.Īustralia ripped up a $90 billion submarine contract with France in September 2021 for conventional diesel-powered submarines in favor of nuclear-powered subs, owing to its security needs and threat perceptions. “The government has not decided on the preferred submarine. Labor has accused Peter Dutton of “rank politics” and undercutting the AUKUS Agreement for announcing that he planned to buy US nuclear submarines to meet an impending capability vacuum.ĭutton’s comments, now opposition leader, were “damaging to Australia’s national interest,” said the new Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles. However, the former Minister’s remarks drew an angry retort from the newly-elected Labor Government. It has long been assumed that Australia could either buy the British Astute-class or the US Virginia-class submarines. In an article ostensibly geared at persuading the new government to accept his proposal, he said it became “clear” to him as the Defense Minister that US submarines were the preferable option. Virginia Class Submarine- US Naval Institute However, in new controversy, former Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton recently revealed that he had devised a plan before the election to buy two American Virginia-class submarines by 2030, stating he had “formed a judgment the Americans would have facilitated exactly that.” First-Ever F-35, J-20 Encounter - After A Near Miss, US ‘Replicates’ Chinese Stealth Fighters To Battle USAF Warplanesĭutton wrote in The Australian that by 2030, he planned to buy two Virginia-class submarines from the US and build eight more, bringing the fleet’s total strength to ten. In March, Canberra announced that the project for acquiring nuclear propulsion technology had entered its first phase. The AUKUS pact was signed last year amid heightened tensions between the West and nuclear-armed China, which has been steadily gaining ground in the Pacific, a region that Australia considers as its traditional area of influence.
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