Connecticut Now Selling Nuclear-Powered Submarines To Another Country
The United States is reportedly selling nuclear powered submarines to Australia, and the units will be built at the military's shipyard in Connecticut
Connecticut is home to one of two shipbuilding yards that manufacture and produce nuclear-powered submarines for our nation’s military. There are rumors swirling in political circles that the Biden administration brokered a deal with Australia to build them five US-manufactured submarines as the Aussies look to modernize its fleet in the Indio-Pacific region. The shipyard in Connecticut will be manufacturing these five ships for the Australians at a price tag of $5 billion for each nuclear-powered submarine.
The Australians are trying to stay in step with the powerful and most technologically advanced nations in that region, namely China. And it appears the US might be stepping up and helping Australia meet its goal of upgrading its naval fleet and outfitting its military with state-of-the-art equipment. Nuclear-powered subs are much stealthier and quieter than conventional powered submarines which makes those subs more susceptible to enemy detection.
The nuclear partnership between the United States and Australia was formed back in 2021 between these two countries and the United Kingdom. The agreement was made to ensure that each of the three nations doesn’t have knowledge gaps that may persist due to confusion over this specific technology. The United States also benefits from having nuclear-powered submarines placed in that region for strategic and defensive reasons.
The agreement happened back in September of 2021 and is known by its acronym AUKUS. WTNH.com quoted President Joe Biden at that time as saying, “We all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term.” As you would expect China is not happy about the AUKUS arrangement because we are selling China’s geographical neighbor nuclear-powered submarines. Australia had zero ability to manufacture that level of machinery but now will have access to the technology.
President Biden is also quoted as saying at the time, “We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve.” China has placed its counterargument on the fact that when the US, Britain, and Australia entered into the AUKUS pact they now are engaging in the transfer of nuclear weapons materials from a nuclear state to a non-nuclear weapon state which they believe is a direct violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that both counties signed.
This nuclear-powered submarine sale has also created a rift between the US and some other European nations in the western alliance. A significant portion of that pushback is from France because as part of the submarine purchase agreement, Australia needs to cancel an existing $66 billion purchase contract they had struck with France for some newer conventional submarines. The United States has informed French President Emmanuel Macron about the deal that they made with Australia.
A European official commented to WTNH.com, “the French continue to convey concerns that the deal could potentially be used by China as an excuse to stretch the boundaries of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and deliver sensitive technologies to adversaries of the West.”
Not only has this agreement impacted Chinese American relations but could also impact Chinese-European relations as well. The Biden Administration will be publicly announcing the nuclear-powered submarine deal this coming Monday and then we will see what true impact this decision has on the balance between leading world powers.
