Will history repeat itself? Less than three months after the agreement concluded between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom which had torpedoed a mega contract of French submarines to the Australian navy, the administration of Joe Biden thus tries again to blow a juicy defense contract to France.
While French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reached an agreement at the end of September for the supply to Greece of three defense and intervention frigates for some 3 billion euros, the State Department American announced, Friday, December 10, to have pre-approved a project of sale in Athens of four frigates of combat and their equipment, with a value of 6.9 billion dollars (6.1 billion euros approximately).
Washington also approved the modernization of the Greek MEKO-class frigates, for an amount estimated at $ 2.5 billion. The press release specifies that the contract, in both cases, “Will be awarded to the winner of an international tender” dealing with the modernization of the Greek navy.
According to the Franco-Greek agreement, announced with great fanfare on September 28 in Paris, three defense and intervention frigates (called Belharra for export) are to be built in France by Naval Group, in Lorient (Morbihan), for be delivered to the Greek navy in 2025 and 2026. The prior agreement also covers an optional fourth frigate.
Unprecedented diplomatic crisis
The contract must be signed ” by the end of the year “, had then specified the French ministry of the armies. In addition to the ships, it includes the supply by the missile manufacturer MBDA of their armaments (Aster anti-aircraft missiles, Exocet anti-ship missiles and torpedoes) and support services over three years.
This announcement comes a few weeks after an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Washington and Paris. In September, the United States announced a security partnership in the Indo-Pacific zone with Australia and the United Kingdom, including the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra. Australia had therefore broken a gigantic contract signed with France for the delivery of conventional submarines, angering Paris.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced a “Blow in the back”, comparing Joe Biden’s method “What was doing” his predecessor Donald Trump – an affront to the Democratic president anxious to distance himself from the Republican billionaire.
France had recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia, and Mr. Biden admitted that the United States could have communicated better with its long-time ally. At the end of October in Rome, Mr. Biden tried to turn the page on Australian submarines during a reconciliation meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two heads of state had announced their intention to launch “A strategic dialogue on military trade”, in particular on export authorizations.