Regional diplomatic missions across Canberra are expecting to be briefed on the announcement on Thursday afternoon. The ABC has been told that news of Australia's decision was instead delivered to Paris by the secretary of the Defence Department Greg Moriarty.Īllied naval presence is expected to increase north of Australia - including in the contested South China Sea - as part of a coordinated tri-continental push against Beijing territorial aggression.Īustralia, the United States and Britain are expected to reorient their submarine and warship fleets to counter China's increasing regional presence. Government sources say Mr Morrison tried unsuccessfully to line up a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, but it has now been instead scheduled for Thursday. Inside military circles there is also speculation that the transition to a new nuclear submarine program could initially be overseen by Retired US Vice Admiral William Hilarides, who chairs the federal government's Naval Shipbuilding Expert Advisory Panel. In a highly unusual step, the Prime Minister also invited Labor leader Anthony Albanese and three of his senior shadow ministers to be briefed on the plan.Īmerican media reports say US President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver "brief remarks about a national security initiative" on Wednesday afternoon in Washington local time.Ī well-placed military source has told the ABC the Defence Department's general manager of submarines, Greg Sammut, has called an urgent "clear lower decks" meeting for tomorrow morning to discuss the dramatic development.Īnother senior official said "top secret" briefings have been arranged at the Defence Department on Thursday. The submarine is a powerful and unique form of transportation that has been used in warfare and peace for centuries. The Nautilus was the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole. The ABC understands Prime Minister Scott Morrison convened a National Security Committee of Cabinet on Tuesday ahead of coordinated announcements in Washington and London.Ĭabinet ministers were given special COVID exemptions to travel to Canberra for the top-secret discussions. The first nuclear submarine was the United States Navy’s USS Nautilus (SSN-571). In 2016, the Turnbull government announced French company Naval Group (then known as DCNS) had been selected for this country's largest-ever defence contract, to design and build "regionally superior" conventional submarines. In April 2016 Australia awarded French contractor DCNS the main contract to design and build its next generation of submarines to replace its current fleet of six Collins-class vessels.
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