Antinuclear

Nuclear submarines for Australia? – drawing us further into the American military machine

 the Australian fleet could be maintained at a US base in the Pacific Ocean or a US nuclear submarine base could be established in Australia.” That is, the proposal could provide the rationale to construct a new facility on Australian territory jointly operated with the US military.

All these moves would be viewed in China as highly aggressive. 

US ambassador suggests nuclear submarine sale to Australia, World Socialist Website, By Oliver Campbell 29 February 2012 A front page article in the Australian Financial Review on February 22 reported that the US ambassador in Canberra, Jeffrey Bleich, has floated the possibility of Washington selling or leasing nuclear submarines to Australia—a first for any country.
While Defence Minister Stephen Smith restated the Labor Party’s position that it would not consider the “nuclear option”, the report is a further indication of Washington’s moves to strengthen military ties with Australia as it aggressively confronts China…..
The alternative of purchasing US nuclear submarines has been proposed
by several prominent figures in the political establishment, including
the foreign editor of Murdoch’s Australian, Greg Sheridan, and Peter
Reith, the former defence minister in the Howard government. The
proposal has been justified on the grounds it would cost 30 to 50
percent less than building a new conventional fleet locally, and
off-the-shelf American vessels could be put into operation far
sooner……
The notion of Australia acquiring nuclear submarines cannot be
assessed apart from the US perspective of using the north and west of
the continent as a key staging base for American military operations.
This was unveiled by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US
President Barack Obama during his visit to the country in November.
While the military agreements focussed on the stationing of 2,500 US
marines in Darwin by 2016, far more regular visits by US warships and
aircraft to Australia were also announced. The intention is to expand
joint US-Australian operations in the Indian Ocean to assert strategic
control over the sea lanes through South East Asia into the Pacific.
The US would thus have the capacity to block critical shipping routes
on which China depends to import energy and raw materials from the
Middle East and Africa.
Following Obama’s visit, the initial recommendations of an Australian
defence posture review were released in early February. Its authors
outlined both shifting Australian military assets to the north and the
need to upgrade various ports and airbases to enable greater use by US
forces. The review specifically called for HMAS Stirling, a naval base
near Perth, to be upgraded so that it could better support American
nuclear submarines, and suggested the establishment of a new naval
base in Brisbane to host nuclear-powered vessels. American nuclear
warships are also cleared to dock at Darwin, Jervis Bay and
Hobart……
The Review article drew attention to one possible motive behind
ambassador’s Bleich suggestion. It noted: “Though the idea has been
criticised as unworkable because Australia doesn’t have a nuclear
industry to support a nuclear submarine fleet defence sources suggest
that the Australian fleet could be maintained at a US base in the
Pacific Ocean or a US nuclear submarine base could be established in
Australia.” That is, the proposal could provide the rationale to
construct a new facility on Australian territory jointly operated with
the US military.
All these moves would be viewed in China as highly aggressive. The
purchase or leasing of nuclear submarines would give the Australian
navy the potential to mount aggressive operations in waters far from
Australia, including in the Indian Ocean, the strategic straits
through South East Asia and off the Chinese mainland. A US base in
Australia would enhance the ability of American nuclear submarines to
carry out such operations in the same areas…..
For now, the Labor government has restated its opposition to
nuclear-powered submarines. Defence Minister Smith commented last week
that “all options are being considered other than nuclear propulsion,
which the government has ruled out.” The Defence Department is
reportedly in discussion with a number of European companies to
develop a fleet of conventionally powered submarines, and is
considering purchasing Japanese-designed and built vessels.
That stance could change, however. At its December 2011 national
conference, the Labor Party ended its longstanding opposition to
uranium sales to India, which has not signed the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty. The move, which was aimed at facilitating
closer military ties between Canberra, New Delhi and Washington,
followed a public call by Ambassador Bleich for the Australian
government to do so.
Whether an Australian nuclear submarine fleet eventuates or not, the
US ambassador’s comments underscore the extent to which Australian
capitalism has been drawn into a maelstrom of geo-political tensions.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/asub-f29.shtml

March 2, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, weapons and war