AUKUS Strategic nuclear submarine pact

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Chris

AUKUS allows the Australians to lease nuclear powered subs from either the Yanks or us (in reality, most likely the US) while their own fleet is being built. Morrison is meeting Biden to discuss it this week.

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-a...box=1632085145

Interesting, wonder how much the lease is, it's sound more like a defense trade deal than anything else

[jonbxx]

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Interesting, wonder how much the lease is, it's sound more like a defense trade deal than anything else

I think opening up bases in Australia would be the bigger things than necessarily the dollar value. Having good bases in a stable, friendly country in a strategic part of the world is a big carrot. That's part of the reason for the French anger as New Caledonia and Réunion are definitely in sailing distance of Australia and are constitutionally part of France

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Macron is a dead man walking, electorally speaking.

A post that has not aged well.

Meanwhile, the AUKUS deal is being reviewed by the US.

US reviewing Aukus submarine pact as part of 'America First' agenda

The Aukus agreement - worth £176bn ($239bn; A$368bn) - was signed in 2021, when all three countries involved had different leaders.

A US defence official told the BBC the pact was being reviewed "as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda".

"As [US Defence] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers [and] that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defence," the defence official said....

The review will be headed up by Elbridge Colby, who has previously been critical of Aukus, in a speech last year questioning why the US would give away "this crown jewel asset when we most need it".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8d3d5l9l1o

So Australia desiring to upgrade to nuclear powered subs that can stay underwater for more than a few days at a time … is that not ‘stepping up to do their part’ for collective defence in the Pacific? Someone make it make sense …

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Chris

So Australia desiring to upgrade to nuclear powered subs that can stay underwater for more than a few days at a time … is that not ‘stepping up to do their part’ for collective defence in the Pacific? Someone make it make sense …

Maybe they want to use the submarines as a bargaining tool to get Australia to increase its overall arms spend? With Trump's regime, don't expect deals to be honoured especially if he didn't sign them.