A U.S. Virginia-class nuclear submarine has arrived in Australia, docking at major port on the west coast of the country.
The submarine’s arrival at Perth’s HMAS Stirling port coincides with a routine patrol of the region as the United States reaffirms its commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Australian Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, U.S. Rear Admiral Chris Cavanaugh, and Western Australian Defence Minister Paul Papalia will greet the commanding officer of the U.S. submarine, reported AAP.
This follows a pact made in July between Australia and the U.S. that will see the Royal Australian Navy acquire at least three Virginia-class submarines from the U.S. starting in the 2030s under the $386 billion (US$257 billion) trilateral AUKUS agreement.
The deal—presented as an amendment in the State Authorization Act of 2023—effectively fast-tracks the transfer of secret U.S. military hardware to Australia and the UK over the next five years, which sees the AUKUS members prioritised in line just behind Taiwan and Ukraine.
Additionally, the U.S. is expected to increase Australian port visits from this year, with the UK and U.S. submarines rotating through Australia from 2027.
Australian Admiral Says Beijing Conducting Rapid Military Build-Up
Australian Rear Admiral Brett Sonter, who is serving in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Beijing was conducting a rapid military build-up as AUKUS nations aim to counter the communist regime’s encroachment in the Indo-Pacific.Mr. Sonter said he was confident the AUKUS allies’ submarine and anti-submarine technology were “generations ahead” but added that ”quantity has a quality of its own” when it came to Beijing’s approach.
“It really is probably a critical strength of ours, so I’m not worried about it,” the rear admiral said.
“They’re getting more proficient in all domains of warfare, but I’m very confident.”
Mr. Sonter added that Australia was on its way to operating its own nuclear-powered submarines independently, with personnel graduating from nuclear schools in the U.S.
US Congressmen Say Providing Subs Would ‘Weaken’ US Navy Fleet
On July 27, just under 30 Republican congressmen told U.S. President Joe Biden that providing the submarines to Australia under the AUKUS pact would “unacceptably weaken” the U.S. Navy fleet.However, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remains confident that the deal for the U.S. to sell Australia at least three nuclear-powered submarines is on track despite the opposition.
“Just like in Australia, there are not unanimous things through Parliament,” Mr. Albanese said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the U.S. Congress could be a complicated place, but the submarine deal was solid.
“We’re encouraged by how quickly it is going through,” Mr. Marles told ABC Radio on July 28.
“Fundamentally, we have reached an agreement with the Biden administration about how Australia requires the nuclear-powered submarine capability, and we’re proceeding along that path with pace.”
Meanwhile, Republican congressmen who oppose the submarine sale have asked the White House to provide an immediate plan to lift production of Virginia class submarines by 100 percent to a minimum of 2.5 per year.
In March, the U.S. offered Australia three vessels, with the potential to provide two more if needed, which will stand in as a stopgap after its Collins-class submarine fleet is retired.
Currently, the U.S. has 21 Virginia-class vessels on duty, 26 previous model Los Angeles-class vessels, and 3 Seawolf-class vessels, making up a fleet of 50 submarines.
