ASPI experts believe that the country is already in a strategic risk zone
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has warned of the need for new methods of defense against potential adversaries. Experts say Canberra could face conflict long before receiving nuclear submarines under the AUKUS deal.
The ASPI report said Australia was in a period of “high strategic risk” and did not have enough military power to repel aggression. America's Virginia-class submarines will arrive no earlier than 2032, and the specially designed SSN-AUKUS submarines will only arrive in the early 2040s. “We are trying to solve the problem of 2027 at the cost of what will only happen in 2032,” the analysts emphasized.
Instead of ensuring traditional security, experts propose using unique methods of deterrence. These include guerrilla warfare, cyber special operations, propaganda and subversion.
The AUKUS Alliance was established in 2021 under Joe Biden. Australia is expected to receive at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines by 2032 and the newest SSN-AUKUS submarines in the early 2040s. Russia and China expressed concern, saying that Western countries are seeking to create an organization similar to NATO in Asia and “encircle” China.
