You absolutely right on the spot
@horse
Even former australian pm thinks the same as you
Statement from Paul Keating on the submarine deal
Comments by former Prime Minister Paul John Keating (born 1944) on the announced agreement between the United States, Britain and Australia (16 SEP 2021)
The announced agreement between the United States, Britain and Australia for Australia to move to a fleet of US supplied nuclear submarines, will amount to a lock-in of Australian military equipment and thereby forces, with those of the United States with only one underlying objective: the ability to act collectively in any military engagement by the United States against China.
This arrangement would witness a further dramatic loss of Australian sovereignty, as material dependency on the United States robbed Australia of any freedom or choice in any engagement Australia may deem appropriate.
Australia has had great difficulty in running a bunch of Australian built conventional submarines — imagine the difficulty in moving to sophisticated nuclear submarines, their maintenance and operational complexity.
And all this at a time when United States reliability and resolution around its strategic commitments and military engagements are under question.
If the United States military with all its might could not beat a bunch of Taliban rebels with AK47 rifles in pickup trucks, what chance would it have in a full blown war against China, not only the biggest state in the world but the commander and occupant of the largest land mass in Asia?
When it comes to conflict, particularly among great powers, land beats water every time.
It has to be remembered that China is a continental power and the United States is a naval power. And that the United States supply chain to East Asia would broadly need to span the whole Pacific from its base in San Diego and other places along the American west coast. Australia, by the announced commitments, would find itself hostage to any such a gambit.
The diplomatic fallout of the axed submarine deal has continued with French officials accusing the Commonwealth government of conducting a “breach of trust” in the wake of the AUKUS alliance. Tensions are running high between the two nations after Prime Minister Scott Morrison scrapped a AU$90 billion [USD66 billion] deal for French attack-class submarines in favour of a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines which will harness US and UK capabilities. The move has been subject to a mixed reception with New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern stating her opposition to nuclear-enabled military assets. Meanwhile, former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating says the deal signals a “dramatic loss of Australia sovereignty”.
