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The suspension of repair work at four US dry docks has potentially thrown a spanner in the works for Australia’s plan to procure nuclear-powered submarines.
Citing a need to strengthen the docks to handle potential earthquakes, US navy officials say ceasing operations at them, for now, is necessary.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday discussions to procure nuclear submarines were continuing as Australia prepared to announce whether it would go with the US or UK version in March.
“They’re proceeding in a positive manner with both the United States and the United Kingdom,” he told reporters in Canberra.
The length of time the docks will be offline hasn’t been specified.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said there were no plans for “any conventionally powered interim submarine capability” to fill the gap before the nuclear ones started to arrive at the end of the next decade.
He and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are in Europe for defence talks with French and UK counterparts.
On the first leg of their trip, the pair announced Australia and France would jointly produce ammunition to be given to Ukraine.
They held a press conference in Paris early Tuesday AEDT alongside French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Mr Lecornu said several thousand 155-millimetre shells would be manufactured, with Australia supplying the gunpowder and French firm Nexter producing the ammunition.
“This partnership will allow us over time, over the coming weeks and months, to assist Ukraine,” he said.
The allies are also working towards greater co-operation between defence forces, seeking a reciprocal access agreement.
“This is a step Australia has only taken with but a very few countries and moving down this path with France speaks to how importantly we regard our relationship with France,” Mr Marles said.
France’s ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault said ammunition remained a key part of Ukraine’s defence.
“What France and Australia together are doing is using the abilities of our industries to manufacture thousands of shells which could be used by not only French but also American, Germans and … Ukrainians,” he told ABC radio.
“You can’t use guns if you don’t have ammunition. It’s something the Ukrainians desperately need.”
He also said the relationship between the two nations had been restored after tensions between Paris and the former government.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison scrapped a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the European country in favour of nuclear-powered vessels as part of the AUKUS security pact.
Ms Colonna alluded to the past tensions as she welcomed the Australian ministers.
“It is the first time our consultations have taken place at this level … since an incident I shall not come back to,” she said.
Australian Associated Press
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