Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended a plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines worth A$368 billion (US$244.06 billion) after two former leaders criticized the deal for its cost, complexity and potential sovereignty issues , reported Reuters.

Unveiled Tuesday in San Diego, the multi-year AUKUS project calls for Australia to purchase American Virginia-class submarines and then begin joint British-Australian production and operation of a new class of submarines, the SSN-AUKUS.

The nuclear submarine plan aims to give Australia a strategic deterrent advantage

After criticism from Malcolm Turnbull and Paul Keating, former prime ministers, Albanese said the deal was necessary given the rise of Chinese military power in the region, which he called the biggest since World War II.

Turnbull today said the project would take longer and cost more than the alternative plan to buy conventional French submarines, which he said was "recklessly" scrapped in 2021.

The US, Australia and Britain have released details of a plan to give Canberra nuclear-powered submarines

Yesterday, Paul Keating, a former prime minister from the ruling Australian Labor Party, called AUCUS the party's biggest foreign policy mistake since the failed attempt to introduce conscription in the First World War.

Choosing nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US and Britain over conventional alternatives would leave Australia with fewer submarines while limiting the country's ability to operate independently of the United States, he said.

Some analysts argue that nuclear-powered submarines are preferable because their greater range and the fact that they are less visible to radars will help protect Australia's trade routes from Chinese aggression.

Australia

nuclear submarines