Australia will be left with no submarines if it abandons Aukus, senior defence official warns

Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Australia will be left with no submarines if it abandons the Aukus deal with the US and UK, a…

Key takeaways

Quick scan — what you need to know:

• Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive Follow our Australia news live blog for latest…
• “Defence has been directed to pursue Aukus and we are pursuing Aukus and that’s our plan.
• I would not venture into the space about ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’,” defence department deputy secretary, Hugh Jeffrey, told a Sovereignty and Security Forum in Canberra on Friday.
• Continue reading...

Background

What led here, in plain terms:

• Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive Follow our Australia news live blog for latest…
• “Defence has been directed to pursue Aukus and we are pursuing Aukus and that’s our plan.
• I would not venture into the space about ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’,” defence department deputy secretary, Hugh Jeffrey, told a Sovereignty and Security Forum in Canberra on Friday.
• Continue reading...

Why it matters

Why readers and decision-makers should care:

• Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive Follow our Australia news live blog for latest…
• “Defence has been directed to pursue Aukus and we are pursuing Aukus and that’s our plan.
• I would not venture into the space about ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’,” defence department deputy secretary, Hugh Jeffrey, told a Sovereignty and Security Forum in Canberra on Friday.