France could build submarines for Australia, after all

A year after the announcement of the Aukus alliance between Australia, the UK, and the United States, Canberra is still far from getting a new fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology. France, which lost a major contract to provide submarines, is reportedly ready to step in and fill the gaps.

When Australia, the US and the UK made public the Aukus alliance, which had been negotiated in secret, it also broke off a multi-billion euro deal with France for the delivery of 12 conventional submarines.

A year later, Australia has yet to decide what it will take in its place.

Defence Minister Richard Marles still needs to hear from the nuclear submarine taskforce, and receive the results of a strategic defence review.

Whatever the decision, the submarines then need to be built – with the first eight due to be delivered in 2040.

If there is a delay, Australia risks not having any submarines to replace its ageing fleet. So it could turn to France to fill in the gaps.

Opportunity

In a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in July, French President Emmanuel Macron, who was infuriated by the way France was dumped, reportedly offered to supply four submarines.

The making of that offer was not denied by Anne Genetet, an MP with Macron's Renaissance party and secretary of the Defence Commission in the National Assembly.

“It's normal that France would try to seize the opportunity as we have the ability, the know-how and high-quality material," she told RFI. "It's not for nothing that we had signed that contract with Australia.”

Earlier in September, Marles travelled to France and met with French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu.

“(The) ministers (are) committed to developing projects that will further enable the French-Australian defence relationship,” the Australian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

However the Australian navy is not keen on acquiring French submarines as it does not have the manpower to learn how to use another kind of device.

The Australian Defence Ministry is due to release its complete submarine strategy in March 2023.