Talk of a future war with China has resurfaced, after federal Labor MP Luke Gosling said Australia’s submarine plans just aren’t good enough.
With China’s increased assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, coupled with a surge in defence spending, Gosling says the AUKUS deal isn’t delivering enough nuclear-powered subs to Australia. He says we need at least 12 to provide a more “favourable balance of power”.
“(The submarines) are overwhelmingly in Australia’s interest because they strengthen the country’s ability to deter war by threatening painful consequences for aggression against Australia, its partners, and its interests,” Gosling wrote in a Lowy Institute report.
“(They) will give Australia added strategic weight to deter a more powerful adversary by demonstrating the country’s capability to target forces that would otherwise outrange its own.”
He said having four more nuclear subs than planned could well be “decisive in a battle for Australia”.
Of course, nuclear subs are extremely expensive and take decades to deliver, with Australia’s full fleet only expected in the 2050s. China has been working tirelessly to increase its current fleet.