MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2023) Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday that his country was not trading sovereignty for capability by having the United States build its nuclear submarines.
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticized the defense pact between Australia, the US and the Unite Kingdom (AUKUS), saying it handed Australia's military sovereignty over to its allies. He insisted that Australia would not be able to maintain or operate the subs without US help.
"Australia operates high-tech platforms and capabilities that we could only acquire from our partners and we could never completely build on our own ... Our future nuclear powered submarines will clearly be an example of this," Marles said in parliament.
"Yet whether our defense assets are developed indigenously, acquired from abroad, or developed in partnership � Australia will always make sovereign, independent decisions as to how they are employed," the minister added.
Australia plans to buy at least eight nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS pact after ditching a $90 billion deal with France for 12 new attack-class submarines.
Details on the submarines are expected in March. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may travel to Washington for a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, 9news reports.
