Aukus submarine plan flawed and risks dragging Australia into China conflict, inquiry told

At an Aukus public inquiry in Canberra last week, one of Australia’s leading submarine experts, retired Rear Admiral Peter Briggs, called the plan “flawed and undeliverable”.

Australia scrapped an agreement for France to supply Attack-class submarines in favour of the Aukus sale in 2021. Briggs said the French deal was the better option, arguing that US shipyards, already struggling to meet the domestic demands, could not deliver the promised nuclear-powered submarines on time.

At the same inquiry, former civil servants dealing with national security Michael Keating and Jon Stanford said joining Aukus meant Australia was significantly more likely to be dragged into a conflict with China and potentially targeted with nuclear weapons. Australia had “sacrificed considerable sovereignty” to the US while leaving the country vulnerable without a guaranteed security safety net, they said.