US submarines will not be based in Australia, says Defence Minister Richard Marles

The Defence Minister has said no to an Aussie base for American submarines for one big reason. Here’s why.

Exclusive: American submarines will visit Australia more regularly but Defence Minister Richard Marles has rejected basing them down under to bolster our defences until our nuclear-powered boats hit the water.

Mr Marles is planning to use this week’s first meeting of AUKUS defence ministers to lock in the key planks of Australia’s nuclear submarine plan before it is unveiled early next year.

But he said home-porting US submarines in Australia was “not the answer” to covering any capability gap that emerged before our boats were in service.

Defence Minister Richard Marles says he hopes Australia’s nuclear submarine pathway will “crystallise” at his meeting with his American and British counterparts.

It is understood the Australian government has also all but ruled out acquiring new conventional submarines, as it instead focuses on extending the life of its Collins-class boats and fast-tracking the nuclear-powered fleet.

This week’s AUSMIN meeting between Australian and US defence and foreign affairs ministers is also likely to lock in an expanded US Marine rotation in Darwin, and potentially the deployment of more US aircraft including nuclear-capable B-52 bombers.

“The trajectory of the American presence in Australia has been growing … and that’s what we would anticipate,” Mr Marles said.

Richard Marles is planning to use this week’s first meeting of AUKUS defence ministers to lock in the key planks of Australia’s nuclear submarine plan.

A Virginia-class attack submarine.

In an exclusive interview prior to the talks in Washington DC, the Defence Minister also revealed:

■ Cutting through the red tape of America’s arms trafficking regulations to create a “seamless defence industrial base” across the AUKUS countries was a top priority, with Mr Marles saying: “We’ve got to get it done, and we’ve got to get it done quickly.”

■ Australia’s shipbuilding industry would be expected to build full nuclear submarines, as well as individual parts that could be exported to the US and the UK.

■ Australian submarine officers will need to train in the US for the foreseeable future to get hands-on nuclear propulsion experience.

Mr Marles said he hoped Australia’s nuclear submarine pathway would “crystallise” at his meeting with his American and British counterparts Lloyd Austin and Ben Wallace.

“Our focus is on bringing the first of the nuclear submarines in as early as possible,” he said.

He said more regular visits from American and British boats would provide invaluable experience for Australian submariners and maintenance crews, but that home-porting those vessels down under was “not where we’re at”.

While he did not confirm whether AUSMIN would lock in the deployment of B-52s in the Northern Territory, Mr Marles pointed to US infrastructure investments at Katherine’s RAAF Base Tindal.

He said he hoped the talks would “operationalise the alliance” which had “never been in better shape”.

“We feel, as I hope they feel, that there is an opportunity right now to grab in terms of the closeness of the two governments and the willingness to do things together,” Mr Marles said.