Category: nuclear submarines

Chinese Ambassador Tries to Give Australia a Tax Lesson

Commentary It is consoling to learn that the Chinese ambassador to Australia is concerned about how we spend our taxes. What, I wondered, could he impart to us about the expenditure of taxes by the Chinese authorities? Perhaps we could be building dozens of coal-fired power stations, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is doing?…


How Will Australia Pay for Its $386 Billion Nuclear Sub Deal

Commentary Will the AUKUS nuclear subs consume the Australian budget? It’s a good question. The expenditure is huge in Australian terms. The total deal is currently worth $386 billion (US$260 billion) and will be spread out over 30 years. So, on average, it will cost $12 billion a year. This is about one-third of the…


No Pledge Made to Assist US If Conflict Over Taiwan Breaks Out, Says Australian Defence Minister

Australia did not make any commitment to the United States in the event of a Taiwan conflict in exchange for access to its Virginia-class nuclear submarines, Defence Minister Richard Marles said. “Absolutely not. And I couldn’t be more unequivocal than that,” Marles told ABC Insiders. Leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States…


Australia Chooses UK to Build Its First Nuclear Submarines Amid China Threat

Britain is to build a new fleet of nuclear submarines for Australia following the signing of a trilateral pact with the United States in San Diego on Monday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed the AUKUS deal with U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and it was then announced that Britain had…


UK’s Independent Nuclear Deterrent Gives Sunak ‘Kudos’ as He Meets Biden in San Diego, Says Expert

The British prime minister has “kudos” that leaders of nations like New Zealand and the Netherlands do not have because the UK possesses an independent nuclear deterrent, according to a British defence analyst. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is meeting U.S. President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the port of San…


Congress Urged to Support ‘Vital’ AUKUS Alliance to Contain Pacific China Threat

Experts have called on Congress to support the transfer of secret information nuclear technology to Australia because AUKUS is vital in the containment of China in the Pacific. Testifying before the Armed Services congressional committee which is currently investigating “The Pressing Threat of the Chinese Communist Party to U.S. National Defense,” the former Commander of…


Australian Defence Minister Not Concerned Over Potential Delays on Nuclear Subs

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles has pushed back on concerns that U.S. dry dock delays will hold up the delivery of the AUKUS nuclear submarines to Australia. Speaking to ABC Radio’s AM on Feb. 1, Marles said that the Albanese government was confident there was a clear pathway for the submarines to be delivered on time….


AUKUS Plan a ‘Huge Moment’ in Australia’s Defence History: Minister

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles has said that the AUKUS deal will be one of the nation’s most significant national security decisions in decades as the federal government is set to unveil its nuclear submarine plan in March. Marles has also assured Australians that the nation will not be left with a capability gap as…


US Congressmen Show ‘Strong Support’ for AUKUS Following Criticism From Senators

Nine U.S. Congressmen have publicly declared their “strong support” for the AUKUS pact and commitment to help Australia develop nuclear submarine capabilities. In a letter to President Joe Biden (pdf), they wrote that it could be a unique opportunity to expand the industrial base to support both U.S. and Australian submarine construction. “Far from a…


U.S. Navy Needs to Help Australia Defend Its Waters: Former Navy Secretary

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said the U.S. Navy should provide more help to defend Australia’s waters until it acquires its own nuclear submarines in response to the rising threat from Beijing. Australia’s Navy is expected to experience a capability gap as the first nuclear submarines under the AUKUS agreement will not be ready…