Buying US subs ‘not about war’, says Defence Minister Richard Marles
Defence Minister Richard Marles has shut down speculation that Australia has made a commitment to back the US in the event of a Taiwan conflict.
A former US Navy secretary has urged AUKUS countries to use the historic $368bn nuclear-powered submarines plan to ramp up collaboration and investment in other industries, as Defence Minister Richard Marles declares access to American subs is “not about” a potential war.
Richard Spencer, who served as navy secretary under Donald Trump, will tell the National Press Club on Monday that Australia, the US and UK need to “embrace” competition between the great powers of China and America and use it to drive investment across industries, not just the military.
“It’s time we get back in shape and back to the weight room to compete not just in building ships and weapons but in quantum computing, biotech, artificial intelligence, energy, and education to name a few,” he will say, according to excerpts of his speech.
Several of these industries are included in the so-called second pillar of the AUKUS agreement.
“We do not have the luxury of time, so urgency and agility are the operative words we need to instil in all efforts,” Mr Spencer says.
“The whole bottom line is that the military investment should be the minority, the majority of the investment should be for commercial benefits across industries.”
Mr Spencer says “speed bumps” among the AUKUS countries and with other partners need to be knocked down so they can “expeditiously” exchange technology. For example, the US could overhaul the International Traffic in Arms Regulations – which restricts and controls defence and military exports – so that technologies are more easily shared with allies.
Mr Marles, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, said on Sunday there had been no quid pro quo given to America in return for its boats.
Under a deal clinched between Australia, the US and UK, up to four US Navy and one Royal Navy submarines will begin rotating through HMAS Stirling near Perth from 2027. Australia will also buy at least three American Virginia-class submarines by the end of the next decade, before eight new AUKUS-class subs start rolling off the production line in the 2040s.
Beginning the public sell of the government’s plan to transform the nation’s defence capabilities, Mr Marles said Australia needed to replace its six Collins-class diesel-electric submarines with nuclear-powered ones over 30 years to counter China’s military build-up and safeguard trade routes.
“China is seeking to shape the world around it in a way that we’ve not seen it do prior to the last decade. I don’t say this with judgment. I think China is a great power doing what great powers do but within the South China Sea, we’ve seen the creation of artificial islands,” Mr Marles told the ABC’s Insiders program.
“There is an idea of asserting a sovereignty, which is not consistent with how we understand the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides for freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight. I mean that body of water right there is a body of water through which most of our trade goes.
“A lot of our trade goes to China but all of our trade to Japan, all of our trade to South Korea, two of our top five trading partners, goes through the South China Sea … The maintenance of the rules-based order as we understand it, freedom of navigation, freedom of overflight, is completely in Australia’s interest. And we need to make sure that we have a capability which can back up that interest.”
Mr Marles said China had engaged in a “very big military build-up” this century, going from six nuclear-powered submarines in 2000 to 21 by 2030. China had 57 surface ships in the year 2000 but will have 200 by the end of the decade.
While Australia wanted the “best relationship with China that we can have”, Mr Marles said Australia had to think about those facts when determining its own “hard-power equation”.
But using nuclear-powered submarines to defend Taiwan in a conflict between China and the US was “a completely separate question”.
“What Australia would do or not do in respect of any future conflict will be a matter to be considered at that time by the government of the day. That is the obvious statement to make and it’s the truth. This is not about that,” Mr Marles said.
“Yes, nuclear-powered submarines have obviously the capacity to operate in the context of war, but the primary intent here is to make our contribution to the stability of the region, to the collective security of the region.”
Mr Marles said as soon as an Australian flag was placed on the first acquired Virginia-class sub, it would be under “complete control” of the Australian government.
“The submarines that we operate will be operated by Australians and be capable of being entirely operated by Australians. So let‘s be clear about that,” Mr Marles said.
“Right now, we have Australians on board Virginias. Right now we have Australians on board (British) Astutes. And we have had Australians having the opportunity to operate on nuclear-powered submarines of both the UK and the US for over many years. It‘s possible, given that there is that arrangement, that you might have Americans on board, but the command and the control of that submarine in the future will be done by Australians.”
If the submarines rotating through Perth with an American commander and US-Australian crew were sent to a conflict, Mr Marles said the Australian government of the day would still have control over the Australians on board.
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