imo defence, like Health and education, should be run by a board of experts in the field balanced by an equal number of economists and independent forward thinkers, such as in ethics and business administration.
having all decisions made by relatively stupid elected party officials is a recipe for waste and futile, ignorant planning.
the few subs we will get for our money is really only part of the spend. much is over-priced access to their tech. designed to allow US to have total control over non-US weaponry while US makes a profit on selling such access. its a dodgy deal (T(h)anks Morrison).
underwater drones come in a large range of sizes and costs with similar range of technical operational utilities. and much much lower cost. Aus could build, and there are manufacturers of drones here in Aus, as I'm sure you're aware, a network of drones along the northern reaches to identify and track intrusions into our Economic Zones and, if need be, destroy such intruders. such would be impossible using AUKUS subs.
the arrival of the Chinese flotilla cruising our island circumference was a clear example of why such a network is needed.
