The leaders of the US, UK and Australia on Monday unveiled a spectacular military programme that includes developing new, state-of-the-art submarines with US, UK and Australian expertise, equipping Australia with nuclear-powered submarines and training Australian crews in their use.
US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian leader Anthony Albanese met on Monday at a naval base in San Diego, California, to formalise the project, which had enraged France when it was first announced 18 months ago.
“Our plan elevates all three nations’ industrial capacity to produce and sustain interoperable nuclear-powered submarines for decades to come,” the three leaders said in a joint statement. It “expands our individual and collective undersea presence in the Indo-Pacific, and contributes to global security and stability,” they added.
Three-phased programme
The programme, which will take place in three phases, will be implemented in compliance with the principle of nuclear non-proliferation, the White House said in a statement.
Firstly, there will be a phase of familiarisation for Australia, which has no nuclear-powered submarines, nor any nuclear technology, whether military or civilian. During this phase, Australian sailors, engineers, technicians will be embedded with US and British crews and trained on these submarines, as well as in shipyards and specialised schools in the United States and the UK.
From 2027, four US “Virginia” class submarines and one British “Astute” class submarine will be deployed on a rotational basis to the naval base in Perth, Western Australia.
In a second phase, and subject to the green light from the US Congress, Australia will buy three US 'Virginia' class nuclear-powered submarines, with an option on two additional submersible vessels. These submarines are to be delivered from 2030.
Finally – in the third, and most ambitious stage of the programme – the US, Australia and the UK will join forces for a new generation of attack submarines, dubbed SSN-AUKUS. These submarines, nuclear-powered and conventionally armed, will involve a huge industrial effort in all three countries.
New naval shipyard in South Australia
Australia is also to build a new shipyard in the southern port of Adelaide.
The new ships, which are British-designed and incorporate advanced US technology, will be built and deployed by the UK and Australia. They will be delivered starting in the late 2030s and early 2040s, according to a senior White House official who did not wish to be identified.
Nuclear-powered submarines are difficult to detect, can travel great distances for long periods of time, and can carry sophisticated cruise missiles.
The goal, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, said on Monday, is not “to go to war” but “to deter conflict.”
