France removed its ambassadors from Australia and the United States after Australia decided to abandon a previously secured submarine deal with France.
Australia chose to cancel the $66 billion French contract, made in 2016, and opted for a fleet built with American and British technology instead.
In an official release, Australia stated, “This decision was not taken lightly. Our partnership with the Government of France and Naval Group on the Attack class conventional submarine program would have resulted in the most capable and lethal conventional submarine ever built.”
France feels incredibly slighted, as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian condemned what he said was “duplicity, disdain, and lies.”
Australia claims that the French-built submarines were not going to be up to snuff. Australia said that they require more naval security than the French submarines can provide. They cited rising problems in the Indo-Pacific as their reason for the not-so-sudden change of heart.
“The security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region have grown significantly. Military modernization is occurring at an unprecedented rate, and capabilities are rapidly advancing and their reach expanding. The technological edge enjoyed by Australia and our partners is narrowing.”
French submarine technology pales compared to the nuclear-powered submarines that the United States and the United Kingdom will be building. The new contract includes eight nuclear-powered submarines. The subs are not nuclear-armed.
According to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, “The capability that the Attack class submarines were going to provide was not what Australia needed to protect our sovereign interests,” adding that, “They would have had every reason to know that we have deep and grave concerns that the capability being delivered by the Attack class submarine was not going to meet our strategic interests and we have made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest.”
The press release spoke to the need for these types of submarines, “Nuclear-powered submarines do not have the same limitations that face conventional submarines on weapons storage, speed, and endurance. They can stay completely submerged for many months, limiting the opportunities for detection by adversaries.”
According to the Australian Prime Minister, discussions were had on the viability of the project. Morrison claimed they discussed the issue at length in Paris.
“I made it very clear, we had a lengthy dinner there in Paris, about our very significant concerns about the capabilities of conventional submarines to deal with the new strategic environment we’re faced with,” Morrison told 5aa Radio.
“I made it very clear that this was a matter that Australia would need to make a decision on in our national interest.”
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