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---------- Post added at 08:15 ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking
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.
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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.