Will Australia Build Nuclear Weapons?

Posted: 12/6/2015  Updated: 7/22/2019

Update Of 7/22/2019

Here is a recent article by the ASPI about this subject again. It is a review of the new book titled “How to defend Australia” written by Howard White. 

“But in between those paragraphs White explores the history of Australian interest in a national nuclear weapons program, underlines the dwindling credibility of US nuclear assurances to allies, canvasses a possible nuclear doctrine for Australia, and recommends a force structure—more submarines—suitable to what he sees as our new straitened strategic circumstances. If he’s not advocating a nuclear arsenal, why is he telling us so much about what it ought to look like?” (book review; Emphasis added)

Original Post

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/should-australia-develop-its-own-nuclear-deterrent/

It appears there is exactly such a discussion going on in Australia about this subject according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). I did not have the time to follow this discussion or the history of nuclear armament in Australia, but this could be serious.

Here is the link to one such article by the ASPI published on 12/1/2015.

Is this happening in response to the retreat and increasing, perceived unreliability of the U.S. to provide protection in the region or that the U.S., Germany, France, U.K. allowed Iran to get away with their nuclear weapons program so easily without substantial demands?