 |
| President Emmanuel Macron of France, second from left, and Malcolm Turnbull, then prime minister of Australia, third from left, on an Australian submarine during a 2018 visit by Mr. Macron to Sydney.Credit...Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
International Military - It has been reported that Australia has decided to cancel its contract on diesel-powered submarines with France. The contract is a conventional diesel-powered submarine contract that the two have signed. The cancellation of this contract certainly sparked the anger of France.
Allegedly, Australia canceled the contract in favor of a nuclear-powered submarine that it would build with the United States and Britain. Even so, the signing of the strategic pact with the United States and Britain was described as a "stab in the back" by France.
Reporting from the Eurasian Times, the sudden termination of the contract triggered a diplomatic crisis after France withdrew its ambassadors from Australia and the US.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison finally spoke up. He stated the reasons why Australia had to cancel the contract. He claimed that France knew that Australia had "deep and serious concerns" that the French-built submarine fleet would not meet Australia's demands. The switch was linked to a deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, according to Morrison.
There are fears that defense capability gaps will emerge that aging conventional Collins-class submarines cannot fill.
For that, nuclear submarines are considered to be the system Australia needs. If this works, the first nuclear submarine for Australia is not expected to arrive until around 2040.
Five months after the contract was terminated, emotions had subsided on all sides. France is also now launching its submarines to other friendly countries.
However, it could be months before the settlement process is finally completed as France is allegedly demanding compensation fees for the cancellation.