AUKUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact
 

BREAKING: Unprecedented in modern times, but No. 10 have just announced: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S President Joe Biden and Australian PM Scott Morrison will make a joint TV address at 10pm tonight. It will be "a strategic national security announcement”.

Edit (Chris) This now seems worth a thread of its own … posts split from the Joe Biden thread.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

I’m guessing they’re going to say stern things about North Korea given this week’s fireworks display in the Sea of Japan. Kim is getting close to being able to directly threaten the Australian mainland, which gives us and the Yanks a decent excuse to get more involved. Expect to hear that HMS Lizzie and her F-35s are heading to the area to conduct exercises, most likely joined by HMAS Castlemaine or whatever.

10pm catches the early evening news in the US, late evening in the UK and Thursday breakfast TV in Oz. Plus it’s a gift wrapped opportunity for Biden to stop looking completely clueless. Everyone wins.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

And what about the USS dropping your allies in the schyt will that be in the operation.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

I suspect the Yanks are quite keen on the possibility of repairing the damage they’ve done to their reputation in that regard. If it’s what I think it is, it’s a quick win - a bit of sabre rattling but no actual shooting.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

The Queen has already sent stern words to North Korea, it'll have them petrified, so no need for nuclear weapons... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-fam...-national/amp/

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

You misunderstand old chap - Her majesty’s good wishes take the form of 65,000 tons of heavily armed steelwork, which we named after her and then sent round the world to show Johnny Foreigner what’s what.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

Wouldn't trust biden to cut my grass . Were can I buy a nuclear bunker !!!!

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

What's all the fuss about?

We're talking about nuclear powered subs, not armed. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) wouldn't allow for that.
Australia will be able to build nuclear powered subs. Not sure subs are much use against land-based missiles from North Korea.
Doesn't seem much more than, access to nuclear powered submarine technology and coordinated naval presence in the area.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

Tbf I wouldn't trust anyone to cut your grass as it cost you £15k and it's plastic.... :D

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

ISIS didn’t exist then, the aim of invading Afghanistan immediately after 9/11 was to remove Al-Qaeda from the country and weaken the Taliban. Predominately US/U.K. forces in coalition with the Afghan Northern Alliance did this. We should have left after this, as the Taliban had been weakened and their only domestic opponent, the Northern Alliance, strengthened. We could have left them to act out a civil war for as long as required.

The Illegal invasion of Iraq and the decision to nation build in Afghanistan are monumental fu…………mis-judgements.

Re: US President Joe Biden
 

'that fella down under'


Mr Biden thanked the Prime Minister for his introduction saying: "Thank you Boris."

He then turned to Mr Morrison and said: "I what to thank...uh...that fella down under."

"Thank you very much pal," added the President.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world...under-video-VN

Re: UK-USA-AUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact
 

Thread split …

---------- Post added at 08:15 ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 ----------

No doubt some people will try to make a nuclear proliferation issue out of this but that’s just background noise from the usual suspects. This is a big story because there are only six nations presently operating them - the 5 permanent members of the UNSC plus India. They represent a step change in capability for any navy because they can remain submerged for months at a time. In the present case it would make no sense for Australia to form a strategic submarine pact with the UK and the US against China when it was the only player relying on diesel-electric subs which have an endurance measured in days.

China could be doing literally anything across the indo-pacific with its subs, monitoring shipping, interfering with communication cables or installing listening devices, and the only defence against that is long-endurance submarine patrols to find and shadow them, and to remind them that they too are being watched from they know not where.

This is also big news for the French naval construction sector because they are inevitably now going to lose the massive order for diesel-electric subs the Australian government placed with them about 5 years ago. I’m curious about how sweet the US and the UK must have made this for the Aussies in order for the termination charges to have been worthwhile, plus the not inconsiderable cost of maintaining a nuclear fleet. I would have to assume that it will be the Americans who will be supplying the hardware now as I doubt we have the capacity to do it, or to do it as cheaply.

Re: UK-USA-AUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact
 

BREAKING: China decries new AUKUS (U.S-UK-AUS Defence Pact) BEIJING, Sept 16 (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry on Thursday decried a new U.S.-Britain-Australia security partnership that will involve helping Canberra acquire nuclear-powered submarines, saying the three countries are damaging regional peace and stability.

China will closely monitor the situation, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing in Beijing. Source Reuters News Agency.

Re: UK-USA-AUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact
 

Good to see the US sticking up for the West after the wilderness years of Trump and the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Re: UK-USA-AUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact
 

Doing it with the aim of maintaining peace and tranquility in an area where those pesky Russians Chinese might take liberties, no money will be made by the US in this venture, honestly :p: