Naval News – Australia’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) is set to be publicly released in March next year. Here are a few hints on how it could impact the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)…

War Zone – The Ghost Shark unmanned underwater vehicle will eventually be the size of a school bus and offer both surveillance and attack capabilities.

The Strategist – AUKUS is a technology accelerator agreement for the purpose of national defence, no more, no less. It is designed to allow three countries to work closely together to translate the promise of today’s maturing technologies, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, into tomorrow’s military edge.

ABC – Australian submariners will train onboard British nuclear-powered submarines for the first time in the latest announcement under the AUKUS security pact.

Breaking Defense – At a large dinner here attended by its ambassador and a host of senior acquisition officials, South Korea made clear its eagerness to deepen defense ties with Australia, making the bold offer of building advanced conventional attack submarines in “seven years from signature to delivery.”

(Thanks to Alain)

The Interpreter – The Australian Labor Party faces a dilemma over nuclear-powered subs and the non-proliferation regime. An old partner might offer an answer.

(Thanks to Alain)

War Zone – In controversial statements, Peter Dutton says that plans existed to buy two of the U.S.-made submarines by 2030.

USNI News – The Royal Australian Navy will establish a new submarine base on its east coast to host its planned nuclear-powered submarines and to complement the existing Fleet Base West, Garden Island submarine base, Australian officials said on Monday. The government is considering three possible locations for the new base – Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla – down from 19 initial candidates.

CNN – Australia is demanding China investigate the alleged use of a laser to “illuminate” an Australian jet in waters off the country’s north coast in an incident that threatens to worsen relations between the two countries.

The Strategist – The political and strategic ramifications of the AUKUS pact involving the US, UK and Australia continue to reverberate, but the details of how Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) have often been overlooked. There are daunting technical, industrial and financial challenges on the long road to joining that club.

Stars and Stripes – Australia and Papua New Guinea have completed first steps and begun major refurbishment of a navy base built by U.S. forces on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, during World War II.

Navy Lookout – The political and strategic ramifications of the AUKUS pact announced in September continue to reverberate but the details of how Australia will actually acquire nuclear-powered submarines have been rather overlooked. Here we focus on the daunting technical, industrial and financial challenges to be overcome on the long road to joining the SSN club.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute – Serious risks are being realised in the Royal Australian Navy’s twin transitions in its surface combatant and submarine fleets. As Australia’s strategic circumstances become more dangerous, Defence needs to adopt hedging measures to actively address the capability risks in its acquisition plans.

(Thanks to Alain)

Breaking Defense – When the United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced their new AUKUS agreement, the major focus was on the path for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines for the first time. But that headline aside, there is much more to the agreement, which could represent a major shift  in Indo-Pacific strategic and military relations for the three nations.

War on the Rocks – Because AUKUS focuses on technology sharing, it is different than a traditional arms sale, and this difference has two key implications. First, the deal is a stronger signal of the participants’ long-term concern about China’s rise. Second, and conversely, it will be more difficult to implement the deal in a way that lives up to its claims.

Naval News – As Australia looks set to join the elite club of nuclear submarine operators, we explore the options. The U.S. Navy’s Virginia Class? The Royal Navy’s Astute Class? Or something new? We have identified the 5 most obvious candidates.

Naval News – Hints are emerging as to what the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) might be planning for their Collins Class submarines. They are often regarded as among the best long-range non-nuclear submarines in the World. But they require upgrades to keep them up there until 2048 when nuclear boats are expected to take over.

RUSI – The hardest part of the AUKUS deal could be keeping Australia happy – as France has found out.

USNI News – The effort to build Australia’s fleet of nuclear attack submarines could take decades to both design the boats and create the shipbuilding capacity and adequate oversight to support the effort, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on Thursday.

France 24 – As France rages over last week’s Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) defence deal that saw Canberra ditch multibillion dollar submarine contracts, analysts suggest Paris should not have been so shocked – considering Australia’s desire for nuclear submarine technology rooted in its fear of a Chinese threat, alongside a broader Anglophone perception that France’s China policy is too ambiguous.

1945 – James Holmes writes that nuclear-powered boats make perfect sense for Australia.

Breaking Defense – The trilateral defense pact laid out by President Joe Biden and counterparts Wednesday will present serious workforce challenges for Australia, a precedent-setting discussion of non-proliferation policy and could take two decades before coming to fruition.

USNI News – Australia’s surprise move to procure nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) with U.S. and U.K. follows difficulties the country has experienced on its SEA 1000 Attack-class future submarine program and the realization that a conventionally powered submarine (SSK) will not meet its future needs.

BBC – The UK, US and Australia have announced a special security pact to share advanced technologies including nuclear-powered submarine know-how.

Naval News – French president and Australian prime minister confirmed the strategic partnership the two nations share, and the importance of the Attack Class Submarine.