Originally published at: https://gizadeathstar.com/2021/09/france-recalls-ambassadors-from-usa-and-australia/
The geopolitical fallout of the American presence in Afghanistan continues in tandem with the “pivot to the Pacific”, this time…
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A sudden thought popped into my head, then a second later I chuckled at the absurdity of it. How about we don’t do business with a totalitarian regime, ie Australia ?
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Now it’s being suggested that the US may need to “lease” Australia nuclear boats for now until an infrastructure is in place to handle the fleet with Americans helping to maintain and run them. When do we just say the American Navy is stationing part of its nuclear fleet in Australia ?
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…while having the Australians pay for it. Clever!
Just before anyone gets too far ahead of the story and sees ‘poor France having a rightful sook’, the actual reality is a lot different.
The Attack (Short-fin Barracuda) diesel electric sub (12) worth originally $50 Billion (AU) that ballooned to $90 Billion, was in trouble for 5 years. There were very specific ‘gateways’ in the contracts for Australia to leave if the French failed to deliver.
Fail they did.
5 years of warnings and difficult negotiations because the French were attempting to offset construction in Australia with construction in Cherbourg (not to mention adding restaurants as key project infrastructure).
The French were warned repeatedly-5 years, $2.4 billion spent and NO technical drawings produced! 4000 Fresh jobs in Cherbourg though…
The Australians HAVE NOT ‘stabbed the French in the back’ and neither have the Americans or British.
Australia HAS NOT decided on American Virginian class subs either.
The favourite for the new nuke subs in the industry (being an Aussie familiar with Defence) is the British Astute class as BAE already have a significant presence at the Osbourne ship yards in South Australia (we are in the process of building the Hunter class Anti-sub frigates based on British Type 26 on steroids).
The US has only shared this type of reactor tech ONCE…with the Royal Navy in 1958. So sharing it with Australia with British help is a HUGE shift. America doesn’t give away its Crown Jewels to just anyone.
Contextually, the French have failed on two other Australian defence projects as well.
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The Airbus Tiger attack chopper turned out to be a lemon. It took Aus Army engineers a lot of time and effort to get them combat ready-well over cost, time and under performance. These have been CANCELLED and will be replaced with the fearsome American AH-64E Guardian.
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The Airbus MRH-90 ‘Taipan’ chopper. Has become, like the Tiger a ‘le citrus’. We are looking at scrapping that programme as well and will probably go back to the Blackhawks. Some suggestions around for the new Dauntless choppers when they are operational.
3/3 French duds. 3/3 cost blow outs. 3/3 poor support from the French. 3/3 Australian cancelations.
Australia needs nuclear powered vessels as we have a far longer transit than most countries. People ask ‘why didn’t Australia just go for the nuclear powered French Barricuda?’. Well, at the time there was strong resistance to the idea from…the Left…as usual. Not to mention that French reactors are different from US/British ones.
The French reactors use low enriched core tech which needs refuelling every 10 years and a significant land based infrastructure. Australia doesn’t have this and it is not politically expedient at the moment (though momentum is gaining).
US/British reactors use highly enriched core fuels that can be sealed and not refuelled for 30-35 years. This means Australian boats will not need extensive land based infrastructures, there by assuring the political left that their idiotic fears of ‘floating Chernobyls’ will not happen.
Now the question is: If the Aus boats have weapons grade fissile cores, isn’t that a short leap to weapons? Well…yes. Time will tell how that pans out. Nuke weapons are illegal in Australia…thank you Leftist loons.
The French are having a classic French tantrum.
Also, Australia as part of the deal has secured US block VI Tomahawks for our destroyers, LRASM and JASSM-ER long range missiles and is working with the US on a long term successful hypersonic missile programme. The Australian Army is currently working with the US Army on a long range ground to ground missile programme.
It looks as though Royal Australian Navy crews will be imbedded on British and US subs to learn the tech. From what I have heard, leasing is a real option and potentially both British and US hunter killer bots will rotate through Western Australia. There have been a few rumours about leasing Los Angeles class subs-nothing more than rumours though.
German naval staff will also train on Australian boats as we know more about the western India-Pacific than just about anyone…we have snuck Collins class subs into Chinese ports before 
The French really have no right to be angry. They are grandstanding because the British beat them to the punch. They know they can carry on a treat with Biden in terms of a ‘confected rage’ regarding NATO issues.
As a side note, PM Morrison is in the US now talking with…NATO and the EU. Morrison will be working with other ‘Quad’ members (India, US, Japan and Aus). The French of course think they will sway India…except that little screw up with hyper inflated Rafale fighters left a sour taste in the India governments mouth.
Besides that, Australia is fighting direct trade/cyber/information war with China. So much so that even the political centre-left are supporting nuclear boats, long range weapons and increased American asset rotations.
Word on the street: Australia to seek access to the B-21 stealth bomber.
The French will be back. Just like when they take a dive on the soccer field and act for a penalty, they will eventually get up. Just classic French theatrics.
I don’t think Biden, Morrison or Johnson are too worried.
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Australia isn’t a ‘totalitarian regime’. Far from it. We have a few State Premiers who think they are dictators though.
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Hahaha Asking Morrisson to ‘rethink’ is problematic; that man has no such capcity! The shallow mind of a perpetual marketing man is all that exists. No croissants for him now!
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I’m just going to pop this here for further information on the schematic of things in the “Top End”…
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Hey, did you see the story regarding America considering sanctions against Australia ?
Yep.Goes with the monster RAAF Tindal upgrade. Should have happened years ago.
I think that was a few random left leaning Senators wasn’t it?
time for our brother aussies to throw caution to the wind. guns or no, boomerangs are freaky.