Australia cannot rely on US nuclear deterrent protection forever. Australia's own nuclear deterrent (mainly against China) must be considered.

If we calculate the US will not go to nuclear war against China in defence of Australia we need our own deterrent. A submarine based deterrent is less likely than a land or aircraft based deterrent to be destroyed in a nuclear First Strike.

An Australian nuclear deterrent was secretly discussed from the 1960s under Prime Minister John Gorton http://www.smh.com.au/national/when-australia-had-a-bombshell-for-us-20080705-32ai.html and shelved. But now Australia has an actual nuclear threat from China.

Now, fortunately, Australia is buying the diesel version of the French nuclear propelled Barracuda/Suffren class submarines http://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/france%E2%80%99s-new-suffren-class-submarine-everything-we-know-172620 . Barracudas are relatively small and cheap compared to larger, more expensive, US legally blocked, US/UK nuclear subs.

The Australian public is Not Yet ready to OK Australia purchasing nuclear subs but will be by 2030, by which time the Chinese threat will create sufficient fear.

Australia will have started building the first diesel Barracuda (known as Attack class http://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/future/ssg ) from the early 2030s. However, there will be time to develop our first four subs as Barracuda nuclear subs and also arm them with nuclear tipped cruise missiles.

If Australia sticks with the French Nuclear path the next 4 subs could be specialised nuclear armed ballistic missile firing submarines, known as SSBNs. Fortunately France already has new SSBNs on the drawing board, known as "SNLE 3Gs", to be built from the 2030s.

France could help Australia with nuclear weapons. France has a track record of helping Israel build a nuclear weapons establishment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimon_Peres_Negev_Nuclear_Research_Center#Construction and building Israeli Jericho long range missiles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_%28missile%29 . France then conducted Joint Nuclear Tests with Israel in the Sahara and Pacific.

From the early 2020s until the mid 2030s the US will likely decide that Australia switching such vast $sums and a nuclear future to a French alliance is disturbing America's profitable military-industrial complex and the US Indo-Pacific alliance.

The USA will then be far more attentive and forthcoming with nuclear weapons for us - its Australian ally.

plantagenet,

I very much doubt that the US and China will engage in a nuclear war. India and Pakistan maybe. But definitely not the US and China.

The only way Australia can protect itself from an attack by China is to become a vassal state of China and with the way Soot Morrison keeps poking a stick at the Chinese that might be a lot sooner than later.

plantagenet,
Protection from what, exactly?

Nobody's trying, planning or even desiring to invade us, and the only territorial dispute we have is with East Timor

Having the capability to start a nuclear war would only increase our chances of getting into one. It's something we're MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better off without!

Take off your cold war blinkers and look at what the real threats are nowadays! The biggest one is terrorism. Nukes would do nothing to protect us from that.

Indeed even the threat from China is not something nukes would protect us against, because it's not a threat of invasion. What we need to invest in is counterespionage. I suspect we are, but I could be wrong - it's rightly top secret.

Hi Pete,

I'm no expert but from the little that I've read
we don't have a nuclear industry and pool of
technical expertise to support nuclear
submarines and a cadre of nuclear-trained engineer
officers.

So how can we be able to operate and sustain
nuclear-powered subs safely?

Hi Mr Opinion and Aidan

Note that I'm talking about historical and future trends

including an Australian fear of China in 2030.

You appear to be talking about 2020.

There is so much more to explain about the mechanics of nuclear threats and submarine weapons.

A start would be to read my blog "Submarine Matters" at http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/

Noting qualifications and over 4 million pageviews, including from Russia and China.

Cheers

Pete

Foxy,

We put the shadyminister as the engineer on a sub.

He will be all at home in his greasy overalls and toolbox in one hand and oil can in the other.

Ship ahoy shady!