The nature of the propulsion – nuclear or conventional – envisaged remains unanswered.
by Elise Vincent
By declaring publicly, Friday, November 18, on Friday, on the sidelines of the Summit of Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific (APEC), Thailand, that France had “still” a supply of sale of submarines to Australia “on The table “, Emmanuel Macron has formalized what was so far only an insistent rumor. Clearly, a year after the “Aukus” affair, this surprise alliance between Canberra, Washington and London, who had killed the contract at 9 billion euros in the egg that Paris had concluded with Australia for twelve sub-sub Classic propulsion sailors, France has not completely given up selling submarines in Canberra, confirmed the President of the Republic.
Since the warming of Franco-Australian relations with the election of a new Labor government, in May, in Australia, this reversal was often suggested by sources within the defense circles, but never formally confirmed. The hypothesis had found vigor in September, when Mr. Macron’s travel project in Australia was mentioned. This trip was supposed to take place just before its next state visit to the United States, the 1 December. He was finally canceled. The hypothesis of a new French offer in Canberra had also been fueled by the Australian press which, in September, said that the submarines proposed this time “four”.
At the APEC, Mr. Macron gave neither figures nor details. The President of the Republic has however regained his account what many experts and officials, Australians and Americans, have indicated for long months: the manufacturers’ command book across the Atlantic and across the Channel being full, if Canberra needs new submarines quickly to deal with the rise of China -before 2040 -it will have to find a waiting solution. The “London and Washington Ball notebook] is full”, quipped the Head of State.
Practical questions
Nothing says, at this stage, that the new French offer is not first political, in an area, Indo-Pacific, where France understood that it should learn to play better from diplomacy Influence, if not really being able to show the muscles on a strictly military level. Especially since other countries are on the ranks and potentially well placed to provide waiting submarines to Australians. This is the case of Sweden, through its manufacturer SAAB, which is the designer of the Collins submarines with which the Australian Navy has.
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