American Admiral: Our submarine deal with Australia is brilliant, but the partnership with France remains strong
The US Navy's chief of operations, Admiral Mike Gilday, described the AUKUS block as a brilliant deal, in which the US Navy and the British Royal Navy will help Australia develop, build and support its own nuclear submarine program. Despite the fact that the creation of the bloc openly and demonstratively violated the interests of France, including financial, the American admiral considers the deal with Australia as very important from a strategic point of view.
Our deal with Australia on AUKUS and submarines is brilliant. But our partnership with France is still strong.
It is clear that we are talking about a confrontation with China in the Asia-Pacific region, and this task is really extremely important for Washington. But at the same time, the United States did not forget about their economic interests and simply "squeezed" the creation of submarines for the needs of the Australian Navy, forcing Canberra to terminate the previously concluded agreement with Paris.
According to Admiral Gildey, now the US Navy will work very closely with the Australian naval forces in all areas - from the creation of submarines to their manning and training of this very personnel, support of existing submarines.
As the admiral noted, cooperation in the field of underwater fleet between the US and Australia will be very long-term, will last for decades. Within 18 months, the United States will help Australia figure out what it needs to do to acquire its own nuclear submarine forces capable of operating as effectively as the US Navy's submarine fleet.
The American Navy is well positioned to modernize the Australian Navy. For example, this is not only design bureaus and shipyards, but also the US Department of Energy's naval nuclear power plant program.
And what about France?
Gilday noted that during the International Symposium on Maritime Forces, held at the Naval College in Rhode Island, he was able to speak with the Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Pierre Vandier. Despite the controversy over AUKUS, Guilday says it was decided to continue working with the French. As an example of successful cooperation between the United States and France, Guilday cited the recent exercises of the American 5th Fleet and the French aircraft carrier group named after General Charles de Gaulle.
According to the American admiral, there is no reason that the United States cannot count on successful joint actions with the French Navy in the Mediterranean Sea or in other seas and oceans. That is, Washington is convinced that France will swallow the insult and the damage to its economy that was caused by Australia's refusal to make a submarine deal.
As a reminder, Australia planned to replace its Collins-class attack submarines built in the 1990s with a French diesel-electric submarine. The deal was valued at at least $ 40 billion. At the same time, production capacities have already begun to be loaded in France. Now the French budget is left without this money, and the workers and engineers of the shipyard in Normandy are out of work.
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