French Should Have Seen Sub Deal Cancellation Coming: Defence Analyst

Read MoreFrench authorities, although upset at being kept in the dark around AUKUS, shouldn’t be surprised at Australia’s decision to cancel the troubled A$90 billion (US$65 billion) Future Submarines Program–according to a defence expert, who now says it’s time for governments to move forward. Greg Copley, president of the International Strategic Studies Association, said that the trilateral AUKUS agreement between the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom had to be kept tight-lipped until its unveiling last month–which surprised many. “The problem was that in order to maintain the secrecy of this new alliance–bound to be controversial–was that it risked the alienation of some other allies, particularly France,” he told Emeritus Professor of Law David Flint in an episode of Australia Calling. “So, the French were, in a sense, rightly offended and humiliated by the sudden announcement that the Americans or the British would be providing the submarines,” he added, noting that AUKUS …