Australia to get nuclear-powered subs

[Bobby]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-15/ ... /100465628

Australia to get nuclear-powered submarines,
will scrap $90b program to build French-designed subs

By defence correspondent Andrew Greene, political editor Andrew Probyn and foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic

Posted 6h ago
6 hours ago
, updated 1h ago






Australia's next submarine fleet will be nuclear-powered under an audacious plan that will see a controversial $90 billion program to build up to 12 French-designed submarines scrapped.
Key points:

Joe Biden is expected to make an announcement at 7:00am AEST
The ABC understands the Prime Minister convened a National Security Committee of Cabinet yesterday
It's expected that there will be an increased presence of American nuclear subs in the region

The ABC understands Australia will use American and British technology to configure its next submarine fleet in a bid to replace its existing Collins class subs with a boat more suitable to the deteriorating strategic environment.

Australia, the United States and Britain are expected to jointly announce a new trilateral security partnership on Thursday, with a focus on aligning technology and regional challenges.

But Australia's embrace of nuclear-powered submarines will have its political and technological challenges, given there is no domestic nuclear industry.

The new three-nation security pact – called AUKUS – will be seen by China as a bid to counter its regional influence, especially in the contested South China Sea.

The nuclear submarines would likely be based in WA.

[Bobby]

That's better than 80 year old diesel technology.

[Bobby]

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ ... nter-china



Australia To Join US, UK In Major Defense
Tech-Sharing Pact "To Counter China"


Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2021 - 02:20 PM



President Joe Biden is expected Thursday to deliver remarks on a major new "national security initiative" which ultimately appears aimed at countering China. Citing sources in the White House, Politico is reporting the US alongside allies Australian and Britain will unveil a landmark new security pact for sharing advanced defense technologies.

In particular, nuclear submarine technology is expected to top the list for the tech sharing initiative. As Politico writes, "The trio, which will be known by the acronym AUUKUS, will make it easier for the three countries to share information and know-how in key technological areas like artificial intelligence, cyber, underwater systems and long-range strike capabilities."
Australian Navy image

It's being further suggested that the pact is likely to result in Australia abandoning a $90 billion submarine deal with France - which was already for years fraught with tensions over soaring costs and production delays.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald the anticipated "AUUKUS pact" was the likely subject of federal ministers being called to an urgent "top secret" meeting in Australia's capital:

In Australia, federal cabinet ministers were called to a top-secret meeting in Canberra on Wednesday ahead of the announcement. Some members of cabinet were granted border exemptions to urgently fly to Canberra for the hastily arranged meeting, sources familiar with the development said.

The White House announcement of the US-UK-Australia pact is expected for Thursday afternoon, at a moment Aussie Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton are in Washington D.C. for annual Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. Likely they will be at the White House with Biden for the statement. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to simultaneously make his own statement addressing the Australian public on the new agreement.

Though there's likely to be no explicit mention of China, it's clear Washington is continuing to deepen its support to Indo-Pacific allies with an aim to curtail China's influence, and interestingly at comes as Australia is locked in its own trade war with China, with Beijing over the past couple years curbing Australian beef imports and levying huge punitive tariffs on barley, wine, and other commodities.

"There’s nothing explicitly mentioning China in the three-way deal, the people said, but both noted that the subtext of the announcement is that this is another move by Western allies to push back on China’s rise in the military and technology arenas," Politico underscored in its report.

[Bobby]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58564837

UK, US and Australia launch landmark security pact

Published

10 minutes ago



The UK, US and Australia have announced a special security pact to share advanced technologies including nuclear-powered submarine know-how.
The partnership, labelled Aukus, aims to "defend our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific", the leaders of the three nations said in a joint statement.
Along with technology, industrial bases and supply chains will also be shared.
The defence pact could see Australia scrap a deal to build French-designed submarines, Australian media report.
France won a A$50bn (€31bn; £27bn) contract to build 12 submarines for the Australian Navy in 2016. The deal was Australia's largest-ever defence contract.
However, the construction of submarines has been hit with delays largely because of Canberra's requirement that many components be sourced locally.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison issued a joint statement on the launch of the new security partnership.
"As the first initiative under Aukus... we commit to a shared ambition to support Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy," the statement said.
"This capability will promote stability in the Indo-Pacific and will be deployed in support of our shared values and interests," it said.
The leaders said the aim was to "bring an Australian capability into service at the earliest achievable date", adding: "Australia remains committed to fulfilling all of its obligations as a non-nuclear weapons state."

It went on to say that the defence pact would also focus on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and "additional undersea capabilities".

[Bobby]

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/15/poli ... index.html


Biden and UK to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines
in new pushback on China


Kevin Liptak-Profile-Image

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

Updated 2117 GMT (0517 HKT) September 15, 2021




Uniting allies against China

Still, the announcement is the latest step by the US to push back against China's military and technological rise. Next week, Biden will host an in-person summit of the QUAD partnership of Japan, Australia and India — another grouping viewed as a way to assert American leadership in Asia. He has also sought to engage other Asian leaders, and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Singapore and Vietnam late last month.
Last week, Biden held a 90-minute telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first direct communication in seven months. Officials described the conversation as "familiar" and "candid," but said Biden did not directly raise the new strategic partnership with Australia and the UK.
Biden on Tuesday denied reports that Xi, in their phone call, turned down an invitation to meet in person. US officials say they still hope to set up an in-person meeting between the two leaders, but aren't sure it will occur on the sidelines of the G20 at the end of October. That is primarily because Xi has not confirmed he will physically attend the summit, which is being held in Rome. Xi has not left China in roughly 600 days, since before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
It's possible Xi participates in the summit virtually, and US officials aren't ruling out a virtual meeting between Biden and Xi. Biden, however, has said in-person sit-downs with foreign leaders are preferable to virtual meetings or phone calls, telling aides privately he doesn't believe as much can be accomplished when meeting remotely.

[Bobby]

The French will be very unhappy to lose a $90 billion contract.
I wonder if we'll have to pay penalties?

The Chinese will also be unhappy -
I wonder if they will invade Taiwan before we get too powerful?

[Texan]

It would cost money, but now could be a good time to get into nuclear power on land also. Just pick a good remote location with access to water and no seismic activity. That could open the door to making your own weapons grade plutonium.

Are the subs going to have nuclear warheads, or are they just nuclear powered?

[Black Orchid]

That Turnbull/French submarine deal was ridiculous. We'd all be speaking Chinese before they even arrived.

[Bobby]

It would cost money, but now could be a good time to get into nuclear power on land also. Just pick a good remote location with access to water and no seismic activity.

Domestic nuclear power stations would take at least 10 years to be built.
Also Thorium nuclear molten salt reactors
could replace them by the time they were built.
They would be far better: safe, clean, unlimited cheap energy.

[Bobby]

That Turnbull/French submarine deal was ridiculous.
We'd all be speaking Chinese before they even arrived.

Yes - 80 year old diesel technology from WW2.
It was the most stupid deal ever made in human history.