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| Australian Collins class Submarine (File Photo) |
The prospect of Japan helping Australia replace its aging fleet took another step towards reality last week.
Australia needs new submarines. That much is clear. Where these subs are to come from and where exactly they will be built remains far less clear.
Last week Japanese and Australian media reported that Japan may in fact supply or at least assist with Australia’s new subs. This was met with fairly predictable outrage: Aussie subs should be built in Australia.
“Our next generation of submarines should be built in Australia, using Australian steel and the world class expertise of Australian workers – anything else is a compromise and a broken election promise,” said Jack Snelling, South Australia’s Defense Industries Minister.
Australia currently has a fleet of 12 6 (though the plan is to build 12 NEW submarines - Corrected by PacificSentinel) Collins class subs that date mostly from the mid-1990s. They are diesel-powered and the new fleet will be “conventional” also, according to the 2013 Defence White Paper published by the previous government; nuclear subs are to stay off the cards. And, as re-stated recently, there will be no off-the-shelf purchase of Japan’s Soryu subs, but there may be a joint collaborative project with Japan. There is a wider angle here that Japan hopes will increase defense ties with Australia and also increase trilateral relations with the U.S., too. Right now relations are what Japan is apparently referring to as a “quasi-alliance.” Security cooperation between Japan and Australia has been growing of late, as has economic cooperation with last year’s free trade agreement. A widely quoted survey by the Australia-China Relations Institute did find, however, that Australia has no interest in defending Japan against China, even if the U.S. asks it to do so.
Read the full story at The Diplomat