US nuclear submarine technology is difficult for allies to obtain

The First Sea Lord (Commander) of the British Royal Navy, Admiral Ben Kay, criticized the slow approval process for the transfer of defense technology to the United States. According to Kay, this reduces the ability of London and Washington to quickly respond to global geopolitical changes and, in particular, reduces the effectiveness of their activities in the Asia-Pacific region within the AUKUS bloc (tripartite defense alliance of the United States, Great Britain and Australia).

“If your rules [по экспортному контролю] are aimed at limiting the enemy’s potential, then this is one story. But if they are used to maintain an advantage exclusively for you, then I doubt the usefulness of such an approach to the common cause,” the military leader said during an interview with the American Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Kay’s words reflect the frustration of another American ally. On October 13, the Australian newspaper Financial Review quoted Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd (former Australian Prime Minister) as blaming “American bureaucracy” for slowing AUKUS’ development.

The subject of criticism is US rules on the international arms trade and export controls. The State Department is responsible for control activities. To obtain an export license, a company must register with the Defense Trade Control Agency, an agency under the State Department, and apply for an export or temporary import license. Otherwise, the potential exporter will face a fine or criminal prosecution.

In September 2021, the leaders of Australia, Great Britain and the United States announced the creation of the trilateral defense alliance AUKUS, aimed, as stated in a White House statement, at deepening diplomatic and military cooperation between the three countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The priority of the merger was the creation of Australia’s nuclear submarine fleet, as well as the development of cybersecurity technologies, AI, and quantum computing, but there is no progress in all areas.

The construction of submarines for Australia is already raising questions from Congress. According to Defense News, a bipartisan group of senators on October 17 asked the administration to disclose the cost of the project by the end of the month. At the same time, the Pentagon does not intend to disclose financial details until the presentation of the draft defense budget for 2025.

The words of First Lord Kay reflect the position of the British government, according to which the United States is obliged, in exchange for London’s agreement to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region, to provide a significant part of the necessary tools for this, says Elena Ananyeva, head of the Center for British Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to the expert, for many years the United States has drawn Britain into an unfavorable confrontation with China, which forces the British to actively remind Washington of its allied obligations.

It’s not just about the peculiarities of American legislation regarding arms exports. Americans do not seek to share technologies, partly because they protect the competitive advantages of their own manufacturers, says Vasily Kashin, director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics. The expert believes that Biden’s powers as commander in chief may allow him to facilitate the process of technology exchange, but “he will not go against American manufacturers.”

In addition, Kashin says, the United States understands the limited, if not practically zero, potential of Great Britain and Australia in the construction of nuclear submarines. “In Washington they think that it would be easier and cheaper for them to do everything themselves, since the British will build [подлодки] longer, and the Australians are unlikely to be able to apply these technologies in the near future,” the expert concluded.