Republicans accused of ‘doing Beijing’s job’ if US submarine sale to Australia is blocked

A powerful US politician has delivered a stark warning on what could happen if the sale of nuclear submarines to Australia is blocked.

A powerful US politician has blasted Republicans standing in the way of selling nuclear submarines to Australia, warning they are “doing Beijing’s job” if they block the AUKUS pact.

Australia’s plan to buy at least three nuclear-powered boats hangs in the balance as the US Congress returns from its summer break to finalise new laws required to approve the sale.

In July, senior Republicans vowed to block the legislation unless President Joe Biden put more money on the table to accelerate the slow pace of submarine production.

But his administration is yet to offer extra spending to head off the rebellion, and Defence Department assistant secretary Dr Mara Karlin on Thursday refused to say if such a package was in the works.

A US Navy Virginia-class submarine docks near Perth last month. Picture: Tony McDonough (AFP)

She was appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by Democrat Bob Menendez, who admitted the implementation of AUKUS had “not gone as smoothly as some of us would have hoped”.

“If we fail to move forward with full congressional support of AUKUS, including the nuclear-powered submarines, we are doing Beijing’s job for them,” Senator Menendez said.

“We need to send a message that the United States can be relied upon. Australia and all our partners in the region are watching. President Xi (Jinping) is watching.”

The committee’s bipartisan reforms were shot down by Republicans led by Senator Roger Wicker, who called for extra investment in the industrial base given it was producing only 1.2 new nuclear boats a year, rather than up to 2.5 a year needed to “avoid further shrinking our fleet’s operational capacity” once the sale to Australia occurred in the 2030s.

Senate and House congressional leaders are now negotiating the final legislation required to progress AUKUS.

During Thursday’s hearing, Republicans Pete Ricketts and Bill Hagerty expressed support for AUKUS but echoed Senator Wicker’s caution, while Senator Menendez acknowledged the Navy needed to speed up the pace of production.

Dr Karlin said the latest Pentagon budget included a $4bn boost, with improved maintenance programs having increased the availability of Virginia-class submarines from 60 per cent to 67 per cent since May.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez. Picture: Getty Images

She said the Navy was on track to hit 80 per cent by 2027, putting an extra seven boats in the water at any time and ensuring the US was “on the right trajectory” to have enough capacity to sell at least three submarines to Australia in the 2030s.

But when asked if the Biden administration would make further investments in the industrial base, Dr Karlin said: “I’m not able to speak to that at this time.”

Senator Jim Risch, the committee’s top Republican member, acknowledged there had been “some disappointments so far” in delivering AUKUS but that he was focused on it working.

“If AUKUS fails to achieve its lofty goals, it not only shows us to be an unreliable ally, but it would also signal that we are fundamentally unserious about competing with China,” he said.

Amid the ongoing debate about export control rules, which could restrict the sharing of advanced military technology under AUKUS, Senator Risch said it was “frankly condescending” for the Biden administration to expect Australia to alter its laws before the US improved its own “overly cumbersome” regulatory system.

Originally published as Republicans accused of ‘doing Beijing’s job’ if US submarine sale to Australia is blocked