Those who reach out for Italy to join Aukus
Why Airpress (newspaper of the Formiche di Messa group) in the newspaper La Verità cheers for Italy and therefore also Leonardo to join Akus, the three-way strategic pact between the US, the United Kingdom and Australia
“For Italy it would be important to join the Aukus”.
This is the title of the column edited by the Airpress newspaper in the newspaper La Verità on 16 September. On the same day, the same author then signs an article on Formiche.net entitled “Partnership and innovation, France looks to the Aukus. It's Italy?".
In September 2021, the United States, Great Britain and Australia launched the Akus Strategic Pact, promising to provide Australia with the technology to build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet, giving it greater stealth in the Indo-Pacific region. The move came amid US and allied concern over China's growing military assertiveness in the Pacific. Added to this were fears about the front opened by Russia with the invasion of Ukraine.
Last April, the three countries sealed the security partnership, launching a joint initiative to jointly develop hypersonic missiles – in competition with those already used by Russia – as part of the three-Aukus alliance.
But the creation of Aukus broke a mega submarine deal for France . At the same time Canberra canceled the contract with the French Naval Group for the construction of 12 submarines, exacerbating relations between Washington and Paris .
Yet it would no longer be the case according to Airpress and Formiche.net, newspapers of the Formiche group which refers to Paolo Messa, top manager of the Leonardo group, a company that operates in the aerospace, defense and security sectors. "France, also excluded from the sale of submarines, now would like to lead the integration of Europe into the transoceanic pact, an ambition that should also characterize Italy", reads Formiche.net .
THE RELEVANCE OF AUKUS
"What started out as a commercial operation, of military procurement, to supply Australia with new submarines capable of countering the Chinese threat, is turning into an extraordinary platform capable of building long-term industrial partnerships" writes the journalist of Airpress in the newspaper directed by Maurizio Belpietro.
According to Airpress, the Aukus pact “has in fact developed in recent months, bringing to completion a multitude of diplomatic and military agreements and decisions, as well as collaborations on the level of technological innovations”.
In fact, on the occasion of the announcement last April regarding the hypersonic weapons initiative, the USA, Great Britain and Australia said they were "ready to" involve "" allies and close partners "on this path – they reaffirm their commitment to of the Aukus alliance.
ALSO FOR EUROPE
“A strategic, diplomatic and political link that has its center of gravity in the Indo-Pacific, but which also has important reverberations in Europe”, according to the two newspapers of the Formiche group.
And in the Old Continent precisely France, betrayed by Australia for the Aukus pact which meant the brutal resolution of the agreement on submarines and in a crisis of confidence in relations with key partners, would be looking at the strategic alliance of three of the Anglo-Saxon countries.
"Having overcome the shock of a" stab in the back ", as the Australian choice was defined in Paris, today the Hexagon aims to lead the process that could lead the Old Continent to enter the Aukus, and even the most an important French newspaper, Le Monde , recently dedicated a long article to the possible links between European countries and Aukus ”, reads Formiche.net .
So far nothing that transcends the chronicle of the facts. “After the initial shock, bilateral relations with Washington, Canberra and even London have slowly recovered,” two IFRI (French Institute of International Relations) researchers also wrote this week in The Diplomat regarding the posture of the Elysée.
THE HOPE OF AIRPRESS (GROUP ANTS OF MASS)
But Formiche.net and Airpress conclude with a direct wish for Italy.
Regarding the Aukus pact "In our country, however, the issue does not appear in the public debate, when instead joining the strategic pact could represent a unique opportunity for our industry, as well as for politics and defense Italians ”reads on F ormiche.net .
At this point it should be remembered that the Aukus alliance was born as a defense partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States with projection in the Indo-Pacific, a region in which if France has an interest, the same cannot be said of ours. country.
In fact, for Formiche.net the Italian projection remains “mainly concentrated on the enlarged Mediterranean, now unanimously recognized as a region of primary national interest”. However, according to the newspaper, “the Aukus network would offer important opportunities for development and technological innovation for the entire defense sector. In this sense, Italy could rely on the excellent relations that unite it with London and Washington to aspire to become the first European country to join the transoceanic alliance ”.
STRENGTHENING RELATIONS WITH WASHINGTON
On 16 September Leonardo appointed Thomas D. Smitham as head of the group's US Business Development Organizational Unit , with the aim, according to a note , to consolidate the company's development path in the United States of America. Insiders are wondering about the role of Mass for Leonardo in the United States given that he was portrayed as a sort of ambassador of the group in the United States and in predenza.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/chi-si-sbraccia-affinche-italia-entri-in-aukus/ on Mon, 19 Sep 2022 05:04:21 +0000.