Australian Defence Minister Not Concerned Over Potential Delays on Nuclear Subs

Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy near Darwin, Australia, on Sept. 5, 2021. (POIS Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images)

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles has pushed back on concerns that U.S. dry dock delays will hold up the delivery of the AUKUS nuclear submarines to Australia.

Speaking to ABC Radio’s AM on Feb. 1, Marles said that the Albanese government was confident there was a clear pathway for the submarines to be delivered on time.

“We’re confident that what we will be announcing in the coming weeks is a pathway that will be able to be delivered by all partners on time, and obviously, we are talking about a program which is not measured in weeks or months but is actually going to take place over years and decades,” he said.

Marles noted that Australia did not underestimate the challenge that was involved in arming itself with the capability but that the government was confident that the trilateral partners would be able to meet the challenges.

“AUKUS is central to that,” he said.

“I think what you'll see is when we ultimately do announce the optimal pathway that we’ve been working on with both the United States and the United Kingdom, that what it really is, is a genuinely trilateral effort to see both the UK and the U.S. provide Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine capability.”

The comments from Marles come after concerns were raised that the U.S. Navy’s decision to suspend four submarine dry dock facilities would cause massive delays to the AUKUS submarine timeline.

The U.S. Navy announced the suspension on Jan. 27 after a seismic assessment identified potential issues associated with the remote possibility of a large-scale earthquake occurring simultaneously with a submarine maintenance availability.

“Our public shipyards are essential to our national defence,” said Vice Adm. Bill Galinis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command.

“We will begin implementing these mitigations immediately and safely return our dry docks to full capacity as soon as possible.”

AUKUS Deal Dividing Congress

The AUKUS deal has become a contentious issue in Washington in the past month with nine Congressmen choosing to make public their “strong support” for the AUKUS pact and commitment to help Australia develop nuclear submarine capabilities.

In a letter to President Joe Biden (pdf), they wrote that it could be a unique opportunity to expand the industrial base to support both U.S. and Australian submarine construction.

“Far from a zero-sum game, the potential for the United States to provide or build new submarines under AUKUS, should that be the recommendation of the trilateral consultation, could very well be a ‘rising tide that lifts all boats,” the congressmen said, referencing a letter to the Biden Administration from two Senators warning against selling nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

The letter came a week after reports emerged that Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and recently retired Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) expressed concerns that supplying Australia with Virginia-class nuclear submarines would stretch the U.S. industrial base to breaking point.

“We are concerned that what was initially touted as a ‘do no harm’ opportunity ... may be turning into a zero-sum game for scarce, highly advanced U.S. SSNs (nuclear attack submarine),” Reed and Inhofe said in a letter dated Dec. 21 and later leaked in January.

But the nine members of the House said the goals of AUKUS were a “multi-generational effort” and worth embarking on for the security of the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

The letter was signed by Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn), Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), and Blake Moore (R-Utah).

They acknowledged that the U.S. submarine industrial base had been strained by COVID-19 restrictions. But said the situation will not remain “static” over the coming decades.

“While the present challenges in delivering new Virginia class submarines need to be fully considered in any discussion about the way ahead, so too must be the potential value and benefit of a fully integrated industrial base that could come as a result,” they wrote.

Marles Rules Out Acquisition of Conventionally Powered Stop-gap Submarine

Meanwhile, the defence minister has also ruled out plans to purchase any interim stop-gap submarines while they wait for the nuclear submarines are delivered.

Speaking at a press conference in France on Jan. 31, the defence minister said: “There are no plans for any conventionally powered interim submarine capability, as we move towards gaining the nuclear-powered submarine capability, which we are working towards.”

Additionally, in a separate interview with Channel Nine on Feb. 1,  Marles assured Australians that the AUKUS plan would deal with any capability gap.

“We are confident about our ability to develop quickly, in these terms, a capacity to build nuclear-powered submarines in Australia,” Marles said.

Marles noted that while gaining that capacity will take some time, he also feel confident that the pathway he will be announcing will deal with any question of a capability gap.

Rebecca Zhu contributed to this article.