Franco-Australian Symposium on Defense Industries
MIL OSI Translation. Region: France and French Territories –
Source: Republic of France – Foreign Affairs in French
This two-day conference brought together some of the largest French and Australian defense companies, such as Naval Group, Thales, Safran and Airbus. The presentations were very engaging, preceded by two inaugural speeches by Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne and Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly. Minister Pyne explained that "Australia, through this symposium, wanted to give texture to its bilateral relationship with France."
The presentations focused in particular on the concept of national strategic autonomy in a context of diversification of security threats. Thus, sovereignty in terms of capability requires the combination of the following three elements: Knowledge transfer to enable innovation, Sufficient investment to deliver this capability, Sustainability to remain globally competitive. The Franco-Australian sub-contract seafarers plays a central role in the development of Australian strategic autonomy. According to Christopher Pyne, this contract between Naval Group and the Commonwealth of Australia "is the largest investment in Australian history, while Australia seeks to have sovereign capabilities in defense." More broadly, French companies support the resilience of Australian defense industries through partnerships, joint ventures and cooperation. The two countries thus strengthen their defense capabilities: France by sharing its technology with Australia, Canberra by sharing its Indo-Pacific expertise with France. According to Florence Parly, "France and Australia are two robust, proud and independent nations, but this autonomy comes at a cost and requires an effort to have strong defense industries."
The Minister of Armies has indeed insisted that the goal of autonomy also involves developing cooperation with allied countries, citing the Memoirs of General de Gaulle: "independence does not mean loneliness." The Franco-Australian defense and armament partnership demonstrates this vision, where two independent nations are teaming up to face new challenges. Franco-Australian defense cooperation extends beyond the submarine contract and covers all aspects of possible weapons cooperation, with a long-term aim. France and Australia emphasize innovation, especially in space technologies and artificial intelligence. "We have many challenges and opportunities in common, we have to face them together," concluded Parly.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and / or sentence structure not be perfect.