Australian nuclear submarines are key to defending the country's 36,000 kilometers of coastline and maintaining an edge against China, whose growing military presence means conflict can erupt without notice, defense officials and government advisers said
The three countries are expected to announce details of the plan on Monday in San Diego. The shift from six conventional submarines to a nuclear-powered fleet comes with a price tag estimated at A$100 billion-A$170 billion , Australia's biggest-ever defence project.
"The number one thing submarines do is hunt other submarines," he said. "We need to be able to track those submarines, and if it did come to a conflict with anyone, to respond appropriately. They are a really important part of our deterrence capability." "The Chinese are developing carrier-killer ballistic missiles to target surface ships, aircraft carriers and destroyers. This undersea warfare advantage, this edge, is absolutely critical to deterring China against thinking it can use force against anyone in the region," he said.
"They want to take the fight to our neighbourhoods so that we can't concentrate our forces to deal with a contingency in the first island chain," he said, referring to an attack on Taiwan. "The public mood has dramatically changed towards China," he said, pointing to polling by the Lowy Institute think tank showing Australians see China as a threat. Such moves nonetheless remain politically sensitive, despite bipartisan support from the two major parties, and would face some community opposition, he added.
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