Anthony Albanese says AUKUS subs on track
Anthony Albanese says Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines will not be setback after the US halved the production of its Virginia-class submarines for 2025.
Anthony Albanese has given an assurance that Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the trilateral AUKUS partnership will not be set back after the US Defence Department halved production of Virginia-class submarines for 2025.
Under the terms of the AUKUS pact, the US will sell Australia three to five of its Virginia-class nuclear-powered subs - with the first to arrive by 2032 - before the first of Australia’s British-designed AUKUS-class submarines is scheduled to roll off the Adelaide production line in 2042.
Since 2011, America has procured Virginia-class boats at a rate of two a year but the US Navy said last October that supporting its own requirements while meeting Australia’s needs would require increasing the Virginia-class constriction rate from 2 boats a year to 2.33 boats - or an extra boat every three years.
Despite this, the Pentagon has now revealed it will order only one Virginia-class submarine for 2025. This is down from the two originally scheduled, with Democrat congressman Joe Courtney warning it could have a “profound impact” on the navies of both Australia and the US.
The Prime Minister on Wednesday said the downgrade for the coming financial year would not impact Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS trilateral partnership between Australia, the UK and the US and “our plans are very clear going forward.”
“We have an agreement that was reached with the US and the UK. That legislation went through the US congress last year. That was a product of a lot of hard work. It is in Australia’s interest to have a defence … that is appropriate,” he said. “You’ll see as well an increased presence of ADF personnel and assets in the northern part of Australia.
“That was part of the Defence Strategic Review ... And it is an important part of my government’s commitment to serving the national interest.”
The AUKUS-enabling legislation was passed by the US congress in December but contained important qualifications. The US president of the day will need to certify that the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia “will not degrade the US undersea capabilities”, and is “consistent with US foreign policy and national security interests”.
The sale will also be contingent on the US “making sufficient submarine production and maintenance investments” to meet its own needs.
Peter Dutton said there could be “difficulties from time to time, either at the US end or the Australian end or the UK end” but these would be “ironed out because, in the end, our three countries coming together make us stronger”.
“For a very uncertain period – as the Prime Minister rightly points out, and I agree with him absolutely – we live in the most precarious period since the Second World War. We need this capability and we’ll continue to work with our US partners and our UK partners to make sure that the capability can be delivered as soon as it can.”
Director of Strategic Analysis Australia Peter Jennings said the reduced US order for Virginia-class submarines was not yet a major problem and was “part of the many bumps in the road that we are all going to be experiencing”.
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