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Australia & France Sign Classified Information Sharing Treaty in Support of Future Submarine

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Naval Defense News - France, Australia
 
 
 
Australia & France Sign Classified Information Sharing Treaty in Support of Future Submarine
 
Yesterday, the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC and the French Minister of Defence, Mr Jean Yves Le Drian, signed an agreement that will improve sharing of classified information between the two countries and strengthen existing protections.
     
DCNS welcomes the signature of the first operational contract for the Australian Future Submarine Program and the selection of Lockheed Martin as the program Combat System Integrator.Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A. Image: DCNS
     
The agreement will directly support the delivery of the Future Submarine Program and will further enable greater cooperation on a range of national security matters.

The agreement sets out mechanisms and safeguards to enable the sharing of classified information between Australia and France, including:
· classification equivalencies and information handling requirements
· mutual recognition of personnel and facility security clearances, and
· allocating responsibility between the parties where contractors are engaged in projects that involve classified information.

This intergovernmental agreement constitutes a significant milestone in the development of a strategic partnership between France and Australia.

Future Submarine Program:
The Australian Government has selected DCNS as its preferred international partner for the design of 12 Future submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The announcement was made on April 26 2016 by the Australian Prime Minister the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, the Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon. Christopher Pyne and The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. DCNS was competing with the Shortfin Barracuda design against TKMS' Type 216 and Japan's Soryu class designs. Based on the French Navy Barracuda SSN currently in final stage of construction, the Shortfin Barracuda is 3 meters shorter (94 meters) and 200 tons lighter (4,500 tons). In September, Lockheed Martin was selected as the preffered combat system integrator.
     
Video: Shortfin Barracuda Block 1A at PACIFIC 2015