Australian leaders nervous about future of massive submarine deal with US
Australian government shows strong support for US partnership while preparing for political changes in Washington. The multi-billion dollar submarine program becomes center of attention in Pacific region
Australian political figures are pushing hard to show their support for US ties‚ as questions rise about the future of their expensive military partnership. The focus is mainly on the stability of Indo-pacific region (which depends heavily on this cooperation)
The main worry comes from possible changes in US leadership next year — Donald Trump might return to White House. His well-known way of dealing with international partners and changing his mind about deals makes Australian decision-makers un-easy; especially since the country has already put lots of money into the project
The scale of this military deal is huge: Australia plans to get nuclear-powered subs that will cost around 250-billion dollars. The agreement includes:
- Building special docks and repair facilities
- Training submarine crews
- Setting-up nuclear engineering programs
- Getting at least 8 new submarines
The partnership (known as AUKUS) needs strong commitment from both sides‚ but Australian officials dont want to show too much worry about future changes. They keep talking about how this deal helps make Indo-pacific area more stable - even though nobody knows whatʼll happen when Washingtonʼs leadership changes in about a year
