Good news the US Congress is introducing 2 key bills that would speed up the AUKUS process. If the bills pass before Trump is possibly voted in on November 5, 2024 this may help save AUKUS.
In May 2023 two Republican senators, Jim Risch, the most senior Republican on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Bill Hagerty, introduced the TORPEDO Act "Truncating Onerous Regulations for Partners and Enhancing Deterrence Operations (TORPEDO)". That bill would speed up the process of exporting certain US AUKUS related technology to Australia. This is relevant to AUKUS Pillar 1 (SSNs) and Pillar 2 (quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and undersea capabilities, etc).
On June 9, 2023 Democrat congressman Joe
Courtney along with Gregory Meeks and Ami Bera introduced the AUKUS Undersea
Defense Act which would provides legislative authority to allow for
the transfer of Virginia SSNs to Australia. The bill would also lead to the
training of Australian private sector defence personnel, as well as the
integration of Australian financial contributions to the US defence industrial
base.
More see the Australian Financial Review
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Bad news that the influential US
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
has pointed to the serious production delays in Virginias earmarked for the US
Navy. See this report. This might
tend to persuade many more US admirals and politicians that Virginia production
can only meet US needs at the expense of any AUKUS agreements.
More see the Washington Examiner
Hi Pete,
ReplyDeleteSome Collins upgrade from Sweden
"FMV enables the use of Swedish submarine technology as Australia modernizes its submarine fleet
Through FMV and its Australian counterpart, Sweden and Australia have reached an agreement on the use of Swedish submarine technology within the framework of a long-term bilateral cooperation between the countries. The cooperation makes it possible for Australia to use new Swedish technology, owned by FMV, when the existing submarine fleet is to be modernized.
Australia is to modernize and extend the life of its Collins-class submarines, which were developed by Kockums AB and built by Australian submarine shipyard ASC Pty Ltd (ASC) in the 1980s and 1990s.
The agreement enables a long-term collaboration where ASC engages Swedish Saab Kockums AB in the further development of the submarine class."
/Kjell
Thanks /Kjell
ReplyDeleteSwedish FMV's participation is indeed good for Australia's Collins Life of Type Extension (LOTE). Extending some Collins out to the mid 2030s to a degree hedges against the non-availability of Virginias iespecially if Trump becomes President.
The full text of the link https://www.fmv.se/aktuellt--press/aktuella-handelser/fmv-mojliggor-anvandning-av-svensk-ubatsteknik-nar-australien-moderniserar-ubatsflottan/ you've kindly provided, in English reads:
Title "FMV enables the use of Swedish submarine technology as Australia modernizes its submarine fleet"
Body "Through FMV and its Australian counterpart, Sweden and Australia have reached an agreement on the use of Swedish submarine technology within the framework of a long-term bilateral cooperation between the countries. The cooperation makes it possible for Australia to use new Swedish technology, owned by FMV, when the existing submarine fleet is to be modernized.
A Collins-class submarine is in surface position. In the background you can see Sydney, with its famous opera house. On board the submarine is a group of six to seven sailors.
Australia is to modernize and extend the life of its Collins-class submarines, which were developed by Kockums AB and built by Australian submarine shipyard ASC Pty Ltd (ASC) in the 1980s and 1990s.
The agreement enables a long-term collaboration where ASC engages Swedish Saab Kockums AB in the further development of the submarine class.
FMV's director general Göran Mårtensson: "Both Sweden and Australia consider the underwater area to be of great strategic importance for the defense capability. The cooperation shows that Swedish submarine technology is in demand and FMV looks forward to a long-term cooperation between the countries."
The Collins class, which consists of six submarines, was developed from the Swedish Västergötland class. Sweden has since developed the Gotlands class and Saab Kockums is currently building a new generation of Blekinge-class submarines (A26) on behalf of FMV."
Hey @Pete,
ReplyDeleteUK Defense Journal has recently posted a couple of articles that relate to Australia's SSN project:
1. Roll-Royce expands Raynesway PWR, which will produce reactors for both RN and RAN AUKUS-class submarines https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/rolls-royce-expands-for-aussie-submarine-reactor-needs/
2. None of the 22 SSNs the RN has decommissioned since HMS Dreadnought have been dismantled - Dreadnought has in 'afloat storage' for forty years. After decades of deliberation, the UK finally started a Submarine Dismantling Program in 2013, but work on the first boat, HMS Swiftsure, will start in 2026! (all boats are defueled, but the reactor section needs to be cut out and properly removed)
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/progress-steady-in-decommissioning-old-uk-nuclear-subs/
This highlights the life cycle issues of SSNs - the need to properly store spent reactors for hundreds of years. Australia has started building its own radioactive waste storage facility https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/15/earthworks-approved-for-nuclear-waste-dump-despite-opposition-from-traditional-owners-court-hears
Thanks Shawn at 6/15/2023 5:15 PM
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/15/earthworks-approved-for-nuclear-waste-dump-despite-opposition-from-traditional-owners-court-hears indicates the very isolated site near Kimba in South Australia "would be used to store low-level nuclear medical waste currently spread across more than 100 facilities including universities and hospital basements."
So the indigenous crowd, who apparently live very far away from Kimba, would prefer unviable continued storage in "more than 100 [Australian] facilities including universities and hospital basements." All protest no responsibility.
BUT Australia's future SSN dismantleing is something quite different.
We are probably talking unbudgeted multi $Billions to dismantle each future Australian SSN. A technical task Australia has no experience doing. Probably the US is the only country, (with deep pockets and economies of scale) worldwide that has successfully dismantled subs containg high level nuclear bomb grade waste. Australia cannot store bomb grade waste under international proliferation laws.
Best solution may be to throw another $5 Billion (who's counting!) at the US to dismantle each Aussie SSN (only $25 Billion all up) in the US and store or reprocess the high level waste in the US.