Thread by @Yogeshjoshidec1

Few thoughts on AUCUS:

1) For the 1st time since the US helped the Brits in nuclear sub tech beginning in late 1950s, US has made a decision to share it's nuc propulsion tech with any other state.

2) Rickover agreed to help Brits bcz of his cultural affinities; but declined to help Even other NATO members such as Italy and Netherlands. Nonproliferation norms did the rest.

3) US decision has finally opened the nuclear military tech market which otherwise gave advantage to states such as Russia and France. There were no other vendors available. What is being offered to a treaty partner today, may be offered to a strategic partner tomorrow.

4) Complicates China's calculus. PLAN will have to confront more muscular navies in the nbd but if it goes on to assert it's dominance, will also have to take into account the chances of accidental and inadvertent escalation. Costs of naval dominance will increase.

5) What does it mean for India. India's nuke sub program may have been assisted by Russia, but the original motivation was always the Nautilus. Bhabha had approached Glenn Seaborg in 1965 for assistance. Rickover and NPT scuttled it.

6) sarabhai again approached in 1967. Cooperation on plutonium recycling with Oregon national labs and USAEC even agreed to study parametric analysis on naval nuclear propulsion by BARC but then again cooperation moved to a dead end.

7) not without reason, the indian nuclear naval reactor program was called plutonium recycling project until 1984, when soviets chipped in and the formation of ATV program. But only provided negative guidance. Things changed in late 1990s when India got a lot of help.

8) Credit should go to Moscow where it is due. Russian help came at when India was feeling the pressure of nonproliferation norms the most. Also, no one would have helped India build a sub for nuclear weapons delivery (WHICH WAS NOT THE ORG MANDATE IN ANY CASE)

9) it is also true that indians have not been very happy with the current naval reactors, based on Russian help. Not without reason, they have eyed French Barracudas for their attack nuclear sub program.

10) US opening up will change the market. Even if nothing transpires, the shadow of American assistance will play well for India in negotiations with both Paris and Moscow.

11) India and US have been talking about the next big thing since the 2008 nuclear deal. Naval nuclear military tech could be it. Both for submarines and aircraft carriers.

12) unlike other US allies and partners, India is already a nuclear weapons power. In my understanding, if India can privately assure to keep it's attack sub and ssbn program separate, it will help the Americans to offer assistance.

13) in any case, new Delhi will not allow anyone to interfere with the ssbn program. And it has already developed all indigenous technologies to pursue one. In the long run, no one can also stop diffusion of technology from one program to another. So India shd play along.

14) even if India has to accept iaea safeguards for attack nuke sub, shouldn't be very concerning. Just like the nuclear deal of 2008, will lower the burden on India's indigenous uranium enrichment capabilities to fuel it's subs.

15) the tech related to ssn and ssbns have different requirements. The Navy understands that. Therefore, it was looking at the French. Why not try the Americans too. No harm in shopping around.