Jervis Bay Nuclear Power Plant - Wikipedia

Under Gorton we even made foundations at Jervis Bay for a nuclear plant would have allowed us to enrich weapons grade plutonium.
It is ADF General Discussion and clearly involves, will/may impact the ADF? It's a pretty broad category and does involve current/ future capability and strategy. I've seen longer bows drawn IMO, but that's just my 2 cents.And now is it delivery systems or geo political issues
Excluding any technical or industrial limitations, I couldn't at all see how CoA could keep it quiet during development. No one needs any inspections or regional scorn associated with accidental disclosure and that could happen so easily with the loose lips of a drunk staffer in a Kingston night club or the prying questions of a Greens Senator in Senate Estimates.An unofficial, and very theoretical study I was peripherally involved in many years ago suggested Aust could develop U238 based bombs in about 6 months from the go, with sufficient will and resources - but that delivery systems would be much more problematical.
I don't think such an activity would need to be kept quiet. Just like with the SSNs, it is perhaps more useful as a public strategy. We would have more internal rather than external dissent with a nuclear weapons procurement.Excluding any technical or industrial limitations, I couldn't at all see how CoA could keep it quiet during development. No one needs any inspections or regional scorn associated with accidental disclosure and that could happen so easily with the loose lips of a drunk staffer in a Kingston night club or the prying questions of a Greens Senator in Senate Estimates.
It's almost like we would need to acquire it magically (maybe as a gift), repeating what allegedly happened to a eastern Mediterranean state allegedly in the late 50s +++. Maybe Boris (not Yeltsin) can help??!
This was done prior to independent parties coming along there was research into w.m.d we dont need to go into specificsExcluding any technical or industrial limitations, I couldn't at all see how CoA could keep it quiet during development. No one needs any inspections or regional scorn associated with accidental disclosure and that could happen so easily with the loose lips of a drunk staffer in a Kingston night club or the prying questions of a Greens Senator in Senate Estimates.
It's almost like we would need to acquire it magically (maybe as a gift), repeating what allegedly happened to a eastern Mediterranean state allegedly in the late 50s +++. Maybe Boris (not Yeltsin) can help??!
Not just quiet, invisible maybe. If the US wont guarantee our security and we publicly announce we are developing nuclear weapons, expect to be immediately blockaded by the PLA-N at a minimum, with strikes on our facilities to follow. We'd be smashed and lost.I don't think such an activity would need to be kept quiet.
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P.S. in case anybody gets the wrong idea, the above is a hypothetical spit ball in the unlikely event the US removes its nuclear umbrella service across SE Asia. It's a low probability, but one we unfortunately need to start thinking about.
Not likely IMO as Japan and SKorea will be first to develop WMD and I really can't see China going to war with them over their legitimate concerns over NK developing a SSBN. If China wants to limit WMD in the region, curb fat-boy's BS!Not just quiet, invisible maybe. If the US wont guarantee our security and we publicly announce we are developing nuclear weapons, expect to be immediately blockaded by the PLA-N at a minimum, with strikes on our facilities to follow. We'd be smashed and lost.
If that (now imaginary) cat gets out of bag the regional bully will yank our chain, big time. Secrecy would be paramount until the capability is 100% sufficient to guarantee our future sovereignty. Only then would we be prickly enough to be leave alone, whilst the CCP focuses on an easier target.