Australia will now get 3 used subs, instead of one new and 2 used.
Hope this isn’t a Facebook Marketplace scam.
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Thanks for posting an update to this thread. I find it fascinating. As the article mentioned, this is an extremely complicated and expensive transaction. I honestly don’t completely understand why Australia “needs” a fleet of nuclear-powered subs. It just seems like a bottomless money pit. I’d be curious to know what the Facebook Marketplace going rate is for 3 used Virginia class nuke subs.
Why does anyone need any military equipment? Australia is trying to do their part for global security and defence.
Look at a map…it’s all about in station endurance
Ukraine?
Australia is a long way away from most of the rest of the world, and nuclear power offers range and endurance that allow those submarines to operate where diesel subs just can’t without a lot more support. They want to be able to have a say in shaping their hemisphere and deterring threats against them and their interests.
It’s definitely a big expense to maintain and train crews. Quite an investment. Which is why they’re trying to do it in partnership with the US and UK.
Yeah, with Australia’s gdp I wasn’t sure they were ready.
It’s a fairly eye-watering expense, but has to be compared to the cost and capability of alternatives.
And raw GDP isn’t the whole story. For example Australia currently has a government debt : GDP ratio of 18%, down from 19% last year (under a “radical communist” government). That’s low by global standards. In the UK it is 94%, up from 93%. In the USA it is 123% up from 122% (about the 10th worst in the world). When I first studied international economics >100% was thought to indicate a country starting to circle the drain.
Australia should worry that its partners are going to bankrupt themselves before this deal comes to fruition.