Adelaide nuclear-powered submarines help the United States: Congressman Joe Courtney

An influential United States congressman who represents the “submarine capital of the world” has spelled out why Adelaide nuclear submarines help Australia’s allies.

AN influential United States congressman who represents the “submarine capital of the world” says Adelaide’s “futuristic-looking shipyard” will help meet huge production demand to contain an aggressive Chinese navy.

In an interview with The Advertiser, Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney said nuclear submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat was “very busy” for some years and Adelaide production would benefit all three nations in the AUKUS security pact.

Mr Courtney, the ranking member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee, was a key negotiator for Congress’s approval of the sale of nuclear submarines to Australia under AUKUS on Friday morning, Australian time.

A Virginia class nuclear-powered submarine like those Australia will buy under AUKUS.

At least eight nuclear-powered submarines will be built in Adelaide using US propulsion technology as part of a $368bn AUKUS program.

Mr Courtney, also a co-chair of the AUKUS working group, said the US wanted to increase submarine production and Australia, as a trusted ally, would be instrumental.

“We can share a lot of the expertise and production capability to help all three countries. If you go into the Electric Boat shipyard today and you were there 20 years ago, it just looks totally different,” he said.

“There’s just all this technology now that’s being put to work and all of that innovation is going to, in my opinion, accelerate because of AUKUS.

“There’s lots of really smart people in all three countries contributing to that. It’s just going to benefit all of our navies.”

Mr Courtney’s district includes the Groton, CT, shipyard of General Dynamics Electric Boat, established in 1899, which has a workforce of more than 14,000.

He said the historic AUKUS provisions, backed with strong bipartisan support, would “rebalance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in favour of free, democratic nations that today are being pressurised by the aggressive actions of the world’s biggest navy, namely the Chinese”.

A digital illustration of the Virginia class nuclear-powered submarine. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

Mr Courtney said the latest technology would be “a real plus” for Adelaide’s nuclear-powered submarine shipyard, to be built at Osborne, in Adelaide’s northwest.

“I think it’s actually going to be a very futuristic-looking shipyard, because it has the benefit of all the new ideas that are out there,” he said.

“The workforce is also going to be starting with a fresh slate. In my opinion, it’s going to be a cleaner form of manufacturing.”

He said nuclear-powered submarine production in Adelaide also would benefit the US by leveraging the legislation which enabled “a lot more ability for people to go back and forth between the two countries”.

“People are very excited about this in Groton. They’re really looking forward to working collaboratively with Australia. I just think that’s going to be a real exciting development in terms of everybody helping each other,” he said.