The Austral Entente ...

[Ian Thomas]

... aka La Entente del Sur 🇪🇸

Very surprisingly, Australia is about to enter into a military alliance with Chile 🇨🇱. Along with France & NZ 🇫🇷 🇳🇿.
The name is a play on words, meant to conjure up the pre-WWI Entente Cordiale ...

2023, December 2. Austral Entente: A southern seas alliance | The Australian Naval Institute.
navalinstitute.com.au/austral-entente-a-southern-seas-alliance/

Comprising of the navies of Australia, Chile, France, and New Zealand, the proposed maritime grouping aligns with historical partnerships... aims to enhance coordination with the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), reinforce adherence to the Antarctic Treaty System ...
..
The Chilean Navy’s Antarctic navigation expertise presents additional opportunities (in addition to the RNZN) for the RAN to gain valuable experience .. preparation for potential future contingencies.
The Chilean Marine Corps’ expertise in cold weather operations and plans to increase expeditionary capabilities ..

Significantly,  the United States 🇺🇸 is excluded and there's no mention of Great Britain 🇬🇧. Chile apparently initiated overtures to join this alliance. It's unlikely they ever would have, had the UK been included. So, does that mean the thing was set up deliberately to attract Latin American states "into the fold" - and away from China. Or did the whole idea originate in Santiago?

Chile is the "new kid on the block" v/v Australia, NZ & the SW Pacific. Expect to see their navy brass wined'n'dined at Fleet Base East in 2024. 🍷 

Since European settlement, Port Jackson, Sydney, with its vast and well protected natural harbour, has served as a major naval base for British and Australian maritime forces.
www.navy.gov.au/establishments/fleet-base-east

[Ian Thomas]

So, what do we know of far-distant Chile 🇨🇱?

Some Background Refs. Their Navy looks capable enough. It looks rather like the RAN which might not suprise seeing as they bought their last two major warships from Oz

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_Armed_Forces

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_Navy

They have Antarctic claims 🇦🇶 which overlap both Argentina's and Great Britain's:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magallanes_Region

And they've put their claims into "practical effect" 👶  ...

Why 11 Babies Have Been Born in Antarctica

For reasons buried deep in history, Chile's armed forces are a replica of Germany's military from the Kaiser's time thru to the 1930s.
Here they are playing Preußens Gloria, exactly as the Bundeswehr still do ...

🇨🇱 Chile Military Parade

Compare with modern German army practice - you can't tell the difference. Even the Standard looks identical

🇩🇪 German March: Prussia's Glory

[vincent]

I'm guessing that Chile is no longer willing to tolerate Chinese fishing fleets plundering fish in the exclusive economic zones of South American countries, so it's attempting to set up this group to control the waters between Oz, NZ, and South America.

Let's see how much China will do to protect its far-flung fleet of fishing boats.

[Ian Thomas]

Things are moving apace and fishes did get a mention ..

Chilean and Australian navies forge ties at historic first bilateral meeting
The Rio Times
August 5, 2023
www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/defense-updates/chilean-and-australian-navies-forge-ties-at-historic-first-bilateral-meeting/

The Chilean Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) held their first bilateral meeting in Valparaíso from August 3 to 4.
The event saw representatives from both navies discussing their key projects and common challenges.

Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley of the RAN led the foreign delegation, meeting with Chilean Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Juan Andrés De la Maza.
..
Rear Admiral Earley highlighted the navies' shared challenges, given that both nations have extensive coastlines.
Topics ranged from illegal fishing to international crime . . .

I'm wondering if drug cartels' submarines got a mention too.

[vincent]

I'm wondering if drug cartels' submarines got a mention too.

Drugs, and perhaps guns, too.

[johannes]

Vincent wrote:

Let's see how much China will do to protect its far-flung fleet of fishing boats.

They can send the 21st-century answer to the Ting Yuen*, the mighty Winnie the Xi:



* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_ironclad_Dingyuan actually, that steampunk behemoth has a certain rarified charm, like some Permian Synapsids or interwar French Bombers. It was also built in Pomerania were Part of my family comes from, and some distant ancestor, a naval carpenter, had a hand (or rather a hook) in its construction.

[dennisw]

I don't know how much NZ will contribute, we know they have a ban on nuclear powered vessels, our new subs won't be allowed there. Will they change their mind about the French, that has been an irritation ever since the Rainbow Warrior incident, and a lot of French vessels are nuclear powered. Maybe the new NZ government will drag them back to reality now that the woke sheila is out.

[Ian Thomas]

Dec 22, 2023 23:05:58 GMT 10 johannes said:

They can send the 21st-century answer to the Ting Yuen*, the mighty Winnie the Xi:

* .. actually, that steampunk behemoth has a certain rarified charm, like some Permian Synapsids or interwar French Bombers. It was also built in Pomerania were Part of my family comes from, and some distant ancestor, a naval carpenter, had a hand (or rather a hook) in its construction.

Westerners need to remember there is a history between China, Korea and Japan. And Formosa/Taiwan too. It's not a happy history. 

Fat Boy Kim's nukes 🇰🇵 might not be meant primarily for Uncle Sam 🇺🇸 ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sino-Japanese_War

To judge by the punishment she took and yet stayed afloat, the Dingyuan was clearly a prime example of Good German Engineering, famous in proverb and legend!🇩🇪

[johannes]

Another thing Australia and Chile have in common are australidelphians: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbiotheria