Episode 7
Episode 7  
Podcast: Asia Pacific Defence Reporter
Published On: Mon Jul 03 2023
Description: More information has come to light on two topics of great interest: nuclear-powered submarines and the very strange purchase of SURTASS.In linked decisions of enormous consequence – taken with zero public debate or discussion – we are apparently buying two second-hand Virginia class submarines and, if that isn’t bad enough, are disposing of them in Australia. Decommissioning a nuclear submarine is very expensive, highly dangerous and complex. Australia will have to start building a massive facility soon, which will need to be guarded for decades to come. On SURTASS, this is looking worse by the day. Defence says it has ruled out Australian industry because of an RFI process. The problem with that is that the information collected is not much better than company brochures and cannot be the basis of a serious decision, so there’s something weird going on – perhaps connected with AUKUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.