From New York Times, I'm Michael Bavaro. This is Adali.

Today, a U.S. deal to sell submarines to Australia has unleashed claims of backstabbing and betrayal from a close U.S. ally.

A state-herendent spoke with our colleague, Mark Lander, about why despite that, the United States is determined to press ahead with the plan.

It's Wednesday, September 22.

Mark, I have to tell you that when I first heard about this news about a deal with Australia, I really didn't understand the significance of it.

So, can you tell me plain and simple, what is this? What is this deal?

Well, it's understandable because it's one of these things where when you first look at it, it doesn't necessarily look like that huge a deal, right?

It's a deal between Australia, the United States, and Britain to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

But what makes it really such a landmark is that, in essence, the U.S. and Britain are sharing their most secret nuclear technology with another ally, Australia, to enable them to build and operate a class of submarines that they otherwise would never have access to.

And that really makes it stand out. So, it's not only a huge deal in terms of monetary value, it's a really strategically important deal, one that sort of changes the equation, not just over the next five years, but really over the next 25-30 years.

What do you mean?

This is Australia being brought into a really uniquely close alliance with the United States and Britain to really face off against China in the Asia Pacific.

This is going to be the great geopolitical confrontation of the coming era, and Australia is sort of lining up with the U.S. and Britain to be committed to this new, much more aggressive posture toward China.

Wait, so, these submarines that the United States Institute and Agreement with to share a military technology with Australia are actually for the purpose of spying on China?

That's right. I mean, basically, the issue here is China has become over the past 10 years in particular a mighty naval power in its own right, and it has shown very imperialistic ambitions in its own coastal waters and even well beyond into the Pacific, into the South China Sea.

They have their own very large submarine fleet, they have their own very large naval fleet, and they're really in a sense militarizing this entire Asia Pacific area.

And so what the Australians are doing in concert with the U.S. and the U.K. is fielding their own class of very fast, very long range, very hard to detect submarines that can basically patrol the waters of the South China Sea.

And more broadly into the Pacific and keep an eye on the Chinese and basically watch what they're doing and send a very powerful signal to the Chinese that they're not going to be able to expand into all of this space without someone pushing back on them.

Okay, so that all seems like a fairly reasonable straightforward military alliance.

The United States, which has an interest in keeping tabs on China partners with Australia around these submarines. So wait, why did this blow up into a controversy?

Well, because the French got really mad about this deal.

There have been lies, there has been duplicity.

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