Until the fifties of the century… details of the unprecedented plan for the “Okus” nuclear submarines #Urgent

The United States, Britain and Australia have unveiled an ambitious alliance called AUKUS to supply Australia with nuclear submarines, in unprecedented cooperation aimed at countering Chinese influence in the Pacific region.

What is ocus?
It’s a huge cooperative program on nuclear submarines, launched by the United States, Australia and Britain and announced by its three leaders on Monday, with the aim of providing the Australian government with nuclear-powered attack submarines. It was announced 18 months ago, when Australia withdrew the French submarine contract.

What’s the plan?

The partnership concluded Monday, under which the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom will cooperate to build a new generation of submarines that will carry the designation “SSN-Ocus,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Announced. Sullivan.

And it includes Australia getting up to 8 nuclear-powered submarines, expected to cost $368 billion between now and the mid-1950s. Australia will spend $9 billion over the next four years

This will happen by first replacing, buying American submarines and then building a new type of submarine on Australian soil to a joint US/Britain/Australia design.

The Economist magazine ensures that this agreement increases the interdependence of the three countries beyond the forties of this century, since the plan contemplates three phases, first buying American submarines and then manufacturing a new type of submarine on Australian soil with a design joint venture between the United States, Great Britain and Australia.

In the first phase, according to The Guardian, the Australians will be trained in the US and British navies, and the British Astute and US Virginia submarines will be sent to Australia as part of the training.

In the 2030s, the United States will sell Australia three Virginia-class submarines, with the possibility of selling two more if necessary.

The Virginia submarine is one of the best submarines in the world.

American and British technology will be used to develop the SSN-Aukus submarine, which will be used by Britain and Australia, provided it is built before the end of the current decade.

The first such submarine will enter service in the UK in the late 2030s, and the Australian Navy will take delivery of the first submarine in the early 1940s. Australia will start construction work this year

What is the reason?

The attack submarine program aims to maintain the decades-old balance of power in the Pacific region, amid growing concerns about China’s influence in the region.

This will make it possible for Australia to have nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and better than conventionally powered submarines, which may create a counterbalance to China’s military development.

The Guardian says that this type of submarine does not require the sub to surface to recharge, and it can leave port and remain underwater for weeks without detection. It has, according to The Economist, “much greater range, stamina, and concealment than other types.”

The United States has so far only shared this technology with Great Britain, making Australia’s entry into this field an unprecedented cooperation.

The technology for these weapons will depend on a nuclear submarine Britain is working on, called the SSNR, which is an attack submarine that carries conventional weapons and pursues other submarines and ships.

The United States will provide the vertical launch system that helps launch a larger number of missiles and provide them with advanced conventional torpedo tubes.

The Economist says that the development of this submarine means an unprecedented defense entanglement between the three countries. “We will be almost a joint nuclear submarine force,” said one of the officials involved in the deal.

What are the reactions?

Russia on Tuesday accused the United States, Australia and Britain of orchestrating a “year-long confrontation” in Asia by launching the “Ocus” alliance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “The Anglo-Saxon world is building blocs like Okus, developing NATO’s infrastructure in Asia and seriously betting on a confrontation that will last for many years.”

“The recent joint statement issued by the United States, Great Britain and Australia shows that these three countries are increasingly taking a wrong and dangerous path to serve their geopolitical interests, without taking into account the concerns of the international community,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.

Are they nuclear submarines?

The US president, Joe Biden, stressed that the submarines that will be part of the agreement “will operate with nuclear energy, not with nuclear weapons”, to respect the principle of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The White House national security adviser told reporters that these submarines will be nuclear-powered and equipped with conventional weapons, and that the project embodies Washington’s long-term commitment to protecting “peace and stability” in the Asia and the Pacific region.

The Guardian said the reactors to build the submarines would arrive from the UK or the US in a secure power unit and would not need to be replenished.

Australia said it would not enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel from submarines and confirmed its commitment to manage all radioactive waste generated by submarines within its territory.

This is the first time that a provision of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will be used to transfer fissile material and nuclear technology from a nuclear-weapon state to a non-nuclear-weapon state, according to The Guardian.

Paragraph 14 allows for the exemption of fissile material used for military purposes from inspection and control by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, but arms control experts warn that this could set a precedent allowing others hide highly enriched uranium, or plutonium, from international scrutiny. .

James Acton, co-director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program, said there was “real and tangible damage” to the non-proliferation regime.