UK's Astute nuclear submarine is he best sales promotion

 

AUKUS fallout misses the silent spearhead lurking beneath

 

The first task of the new trilateral security partnership involving the U.S., the U.K, and Australia will be to rescue Australia's faltering submarine program after it ditched a $66 billion contract with France's Naval Group, writes Alexander Neill. Though the partnership is intended to counter China's burgeoning military expansion, Paris was nevertheless furious and Beijing was swift to open the floodgates of vitriol.
   But for the real reason behind Canberra's decision to go all in with its two oldest allies, look no further than the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier strike group, currently nearing the final phase of its mission in the West Pacific. 

    "The silent spearhead of the group is a Royal Navy Astute class submarine, nuclear-powered and for the most part of the mission submerged and likely undetected -- not only sufficient as a strategic deterrent but also a successful sales advertisement."