Australia’s AUKUS Submarines May Be Delayed by 3 Years

The Secretary of the US Navy, Carlos Del Toro, concluded that production was running 24 to 36 months behind schedule.

The Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) returns home to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam from a deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility on Sept. 13, 2021. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. Zingaro/U.S. Navy via AP

Australia’s defence obligations under the AUKUS pact could be affected by a delivery delay of up to three years of secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the United States.

Bloomberg reported this week that an internal review commissioned in January by U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro to assess shipbuilding challenges facing the United States concluded that production was running 24 to 36 months behind schedule.