Toward Decline
Concerns whether Australia’s AUKUS submarines will be able to ‘keep pace’ with China’s fleet - Sky News Australia
Why it matters
This article directly addresses Australia's submarine capability gap relative to PLA expansion, a core component of Maritime Defence (Pillar 6) and Alliance credibility (Pillar 7). The concern about AUKUS submarines' capacity to match China's fleet growth undermines confidence in Australia's ability to maintain Indo-Pacific deterrence and raises questions about AUKUS delivery timelines and effectiveness.
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