DEFENCE POLICY – AUSTRALIA

US ‘won’t share nuclear subs’: expert

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Oct-21

Former US submariner and navy commander Bryan Clark believes that Australia is likely to buy Britain’s Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine. Clark doubts that the US will make its Virginia-class submarine available to Australia under the recently-announced three-nation AUKUS alliance. He adds that the Astute-class vessel is smaller and significantly less expensive, and is designed for a range of different missions. Clark adds that the US is also highly unlikely to lease refurbished nuclear submarines to Australia.

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57% of Australians approve of the Federal Government’s agreement to purchase nuclear submarines from the USA

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 17-Sep-21

A special Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey shows that 57% of Australians approve of the Federal Government’s agreement to buy nuclear-powered submarines from the US, while 43% disapprove. Some 89% of L-NP supporters approve of the agreement, compared to 47% of ALP supporters and only 14% of Greens supporters. Meanwhile, 68% of men and 46% of women approve of the agreement. There is also a clear ‘age gap’ on views of the agreement, with strong approval among people aged 50-64 (60%) and those aged 65+ (72%); in contrast, 53% of people aged 18-24 and 51% of those aged 25-34 disapprove of the agreement. This Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australia-wide cross-section of 1,714 Australians aged 18+ on 16 September.

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ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Australia’s nuclear sea zone

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 3 : 17-Sep-21

Australia’s new fleet of up to eight nuclear-powered submarines will cost significantly more than the cancelled deal to build 12 French-designed conventional subs. The first of the nuclear vessels is also unlikely to enter service until the late 2030s; the first Attack-class sub had been slated to do so in 2034. However, nuclear subs can be deployed for many months at a time without needing to surface, while conventional subs must do so regularly in order to recharge their batteries. The federal government has already invested some $2.5bn in the Attack-class contract with Naval Group. The government will also extend the operational life of the existing Collins-class submarines until the new fleet is delivered.

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NAVAL GROUP

France says Australia’s $90b submarine deal cancellation is a stab in the back

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Original article by Jack Hawke
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 17-Sep-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the federal government’s decision to cancel the submarine contract with France-based Naval Group. He has argued that decisions must be made in the best interests of national security, and stressed that France is still an important partner in the Pacific region. However, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has criticised the decision to ditch the contract in favour of nuclear-powered submarines, arguing that the relationship of trust between the two nations has been broken.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NAVAL GROUP

Worried miners call for China olive branch

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 17-Sep-21

The Association of Mining & Exploration Companies is concerned about how China may react to Australia’s new defence pact, and that its response might include sanctions that hurt the mining sector. AMEC CEO Warren Pearce has urged the federal government to make efforts to rebuild its trading relationship with China. He has also urged Australia to extend an ‘olive branch’ to China by stating that it welcomes any foreign investment, so long as it is not in industries that are linked to defence. Members of AMEC include Fortescue Metals Group, OZ Minerals and Roy Hill.

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ASSOCIATION OF MINING AND EXPLORATION COMPANIES, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Beijing’s second spy ship surprise

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 6 : 19-Jul-21

China has sent two intelligence-gathering ships to monitor military exercises in Queensland involving Australian and US forces. Defence Minister Peter Dutton said that the federal government had expected China to send one ship, but that the second ship was a bit of a surprise. He said he expects the Chinese to conduct themselves in accordance with the international rules of law, while a Defence spokesperson has stated that all participants in the Talisman Sabre exercises have taken appropriate steps to safeguard their information security.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE

Reynolds calls for local push on rare earths

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 7-Jul-20

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds says Australia and its partners are working to boost the supply of rare earths and other minerals that are important to their defence forces. Her comments come as Australia and other Western nations seek to cut their dependence on China for rare earths. The federal government’s Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility will provide $150 million in financial support for a proposed mineral sands mine in Western Australia that will include rare earths capacity. The NAIF is also considering supporting Arafura Resources’ $1.1 billion rare earths project in the Northern Territory.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, ARAFURA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ARU, NORTHERN AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY, LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC

‘A national security scandal’: Kevin Rudd names three gaps in defence strategy

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Original article by Anthony Galloway
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 3-Jul-20

The federal government’s new defence strategy includes expenditure of $270 billion over the next 10 years on boosting the Australian Defence Force. However, former prime minister Kevin Rudd contends there are three major gaps in the strategy: failing to build up Australia’s cyber defences with sufficient speed; insufficient spending in the Pacific region, and delays in the delivery of new submarines. Rudd noted his government’s 2009 Defence White Policy had called for a doubling of Australia’s submarine fleet, and he claims the submarine project has been "comprehensively botched".

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AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE

Australia to spend $270bn building larger military to prepare for poorer, more dangerous world

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Original article by Jade Macmillan, Andrew Greene
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 1-Jul-20

The federal government will shift the focus of its defence policy to the Indo-Pacific, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning of a heightened risk of conflict in the region in the post-coronavirus environment. The government will increase its defence budget by $270bn over the next 10 years. Amongst other things, it is expected to spent about $800m on long-range anti-ship missiles from the US which have a much larger range than Australia’s current generation of missiles. About 800 additional Australian Defence Force members are expected to be recruited over the next decade, while the defence R&D budget will include research into hypersonic weapons.

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AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

China threat: bolster Top End

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 19-Aug-19

A report to be released by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on 19 August suggests that there is a growing gap between Australia’s strategic policy and its military assets in the northern part of the nation. The report’s release, which calls for a boost to defence capacity in that part of the country, will coincide with the release of a separate report from the United States Studies Centre that will argue that the US no longer "enjoys military primacy in the Indo-Pacific". The release of the two reports comes as China seeks to expand its defence and strategic presence in the region.

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AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE LIMITED, UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE