The U.S. will speed up Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines by arranging for Canberra’s first few subs to be built in the US, which in the short and middle term, shafts the SA Governments dreams.
Submarine production would later shift to Britain and Australia, which would produce a sub with a new design.
There are suggestions the British subs would be “assembled” (not manufactured) in Adelaide sometime in the late 2030s.
Other facets of the plan call for the U.S. to step up its port visits to Australia in coming years and to establish the capability to rotate American attack subs through Perth, Australia, by 2027.
U.S. officials argue that the ARKUS deal will result in more-capable Australia and British submarines and, thus, help preserve the Western lead over China in undersea military technology.
They add that it will strengthen the alliance between the three countries as the Pentagon undertakes a major defence transformation to deal with China’s growing military strength.
Nuclear-powered submarines are far more capable than their conventional counterparts because they can operate stealthily underwater over great distances and long periods. The nuclear-powered subs for Australia would only carry conventional weapons.
The Virginia-class submarines that Australia would buy might be a mix of attack submarines already operated by the U.S. and ones that would be manufactured from scratch.
The details remain to be determined, and some officials say that Australia might buy as few as three subs.
The decision to have US submarines operate from Perth will provide Canberra with an opportunity to learn how to support nuclear-powered subs.