Australia looks to France for SSHNs & Nuke Weapons

Middle power Australia can no longer assume we are protected by the US nuclear umbrella. In fact Trump's radical shift to Russia is instructive. In a new SSN concept nuclear armed hypersonic (H) missiles on SSHNs might, for middle powers, be the deterrent of choice against China and Russia. I thank the commenters from this article for the words below. 

With the Russia-US alliance (RUS) the democratic world is losing confidence in US security guarantees. This includes Australia regarding the QUAD and AUKUS. There are multiple examples coming out now of US isolationism which is more manifestly pro-Russian https://news.online.ua/en/the-us-is-ending-support-for-ukrainian-f-16s-but-there-is-a-way-out-891472/
and
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/america-vetoes-g7-proposal-to-combat-russias-shadow-fleet-of-oil-tankers

Trump and Vance lead the surrender to Russia. But at the US Defense coalface it is Elbridge Colby, Trump’s nominee for Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, who flags the end of the AUKUS Virginia option. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/09/trump-pick-for-pentagon-says-selling-submarines-to-australia-would-be-crazy-if-taiwan-tensions-flare

Colby is likely to kill the Virginias for Australia in the near term. This is even before the US Presidential decision of the early 2030s kills the Virginia option - responding to USN advice that the US until the 2040s will lack Virginias even for protection of the US heartland. China's long awaited mass protection of SSNs and SSBNs will outstrip America's already low rate of SSN availability. Meanwhile the UK industrial base appears unable to deliver SSN-AUKUS before 2045 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c871e41751yo  

In any case British SSN availability to Australia relies on US techno-legal permissions. US veto power over British autonomy is underwritten by the US developed and Kings Bay, US, supplied Trident IIs/D5s which are Britain's only nuclear warhead delivery type. 

At the same time, the current Australian Government and Opposition, at the public level, are in denial over the emerging Russia-US alliance. Australia’s vain Defence Minister Marles has always placed his political career over responsibility. See his denials here https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/transcripts/2025-03-06/television-interview-abc-730. Australia's Canberra capital is, publicly at least, in a parallel universe of vain hope, that doesn't address the new Russia US alliance.

Unfortunately Japan and South Korea (SK) rely on US nuclear protection even more than Australia. Japanese Taigeis and SK KSS-IIIs, like all conventional submarines, lack the speed and range to be a viable Australian strategic weapon against China or Russia. Israel, as well, relies on US strategic and political protection. India, despite its nationalist protestations of autonomy, is reliant on Russia for nuclear submarine technology and, more secretly, Russian nuclear weapons tech.

Only less aligned country France https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c871e41751yo might sell nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons to Australia for a price. As Australia is now desperate - this runs contrary to my France can't help February 2025 articles here and here.

Peter Coates