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| A Royal Australian Navy Collins class Submarine |
By Helen Clark
The debate often misses the regional context surrounding Australia’s submarine program.
What’s being left out of Australia’s submarine and naval security debate? The region those subs will be patrolling.
In terms of defense news, the submarine debate on who will build Australia’s new fleet, and where it will be built, has had some staying power. However, the mainstream debate has not really looked at changes in the region. Many countries in the Asia-Pacific are now pursuing their own submarine plans, and nuclear-capable submarines in the Indian Ocean are not far away. The South China Sea is a focus for new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull but the recent drill with India hasn’t received a lot of attention in the Australian press. What else is happening in the region, and what might that mean for future submarine and naval plans.
Read the full story at The Diplomat