In this handout image provided by the Australian Defence Force, Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy on Sept. 5, 2021, in Darwin, Australia. (POIS Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force/Getty Images/TNS)
CANBERRA, Australia (Tribune News Service) — The Australian government is playing down concerns over the delivery schedule for its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines after the Biden administration reduced orders for new vessels in its latest defense budget.
The U.S. will produce just one Virginia-class submarine in 2025, down from an anticipated two, raising questions over its ability to fulfill a commitment under the AUKUS security partnership to sell Australia up to five of the nuclear-powered vessels starting from 2032.
Despite the setback, a spokesperson for Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said AUKUS — comprising Australia, the UK and US — is “steadfast” in its commitment to the original timeline. “All three AUKUS partners are working at pace to integrate our industrial bases and to realize this historic initiative.”
The AUKUS agreement, signed in September 2021, aims to counter China’s growing influence and military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The deal has two pillars: Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered subs; and trilateral sharing of advanced capabilities including quantum, hypersonic, AI and autonomy.
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a vocal critic of AUKUS, said in response to the announcement that the U.S. is already struggling to keep pace with China’s military expansion, and isn’t going to sacrifice its own defense needs in order to meet Australia’s requirements.
“The reality is the Americans are not going to make their submarines deficit worse than it is already by giving, or selling, submarines to Australia,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Wednesday. “This is really a case of us being mugged by reality.”
U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney warned in a statement that the cuts to the Virginia-class production line would have a “profound impact” on both the American and Australian navies.
It has been almost a year since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood alongside President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Fransisco to announce the long-awaited roadmap for the AUKUS submarine plans.
Under the original timeline, Australia will first receive nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S. in the 2030s, before working jointly with the U.K. to build an entirely new model known as the SSN AUKUS. That won’t be in service until at least the early 2040s.’
(With assistance from Tony Capaccio.)
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