The design of Australia’s first fleet of nuclear-powered submarines is expected to be a three-way effort, with the defence minister indicating the AUKUS agreement would result in all countries increasing their military capabilities.
Key points:
- Defence Minister Richard Marles suggests Australia’s new nuclear-powered submarines could be a cutting-edge new design shared with the US and UK
- The three allies are expected to share manufacturing of the new design, making specific components in each country
- Mr Marles said thousands of jobs would be created in Australia as a result of the submarine deal, and defended shipbuilder Austal as a “national asset”
Richard Marles has travelled to the United States to meet US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
He described it as a “flying visit” after his trip to the United Kingdom, but said it was a valuable chance for him to speak with his counterparts about nuclear-powered submarines.
“I think [these meetings are] pretty useful because we are getting to the pointy end of the process in terms of the announcement, in relation to AUKUS and the submarines,” he said.
It is understood that there is “appetite” for a brand new design between the countries.
Richard Marles said he believed the AUKUS agreement would result in increased capabilities for all countries.
“The kind of spirit of AUKUS is about the three countries working together to collaborate on cutting-edge military technology, to improve that and to share it and I definitely think you will see a benefit for Australia, but to the US and the UK as well,” he said.
And he said the expectation was that the three countries would be responsible for building different sections of the submarines.
“We are talking about trying to get an integrated industrial capacity across the three countries,” he said.
“We are building a three-way ecosystem and I think that’s how people need to understand it and then there’ll be a lot in this for Australia.”
Job opportunities
The defence minister said he expected thousands of jobs to be created in Australia as a result of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal.
However, he conceded there would be challenges in finding the workforce.
“I think what’s actually expected of us by both the US and the UK, is that we make a contribution to the net industrial base of the three countries, by developing the capacity in Australia to build a nuclear-powered submarine,” he said.
“And the people side of that equation is a massive challenge.
“It is one of the real challenges that we face and we’re going to have to do a lot of work to get this right,” he said.
Concerns have been raised about the United States being able to assist Australia in building the submarines, given it is already struggling to meet its own Navy’s requirements.
While two powerful US politicians also warned President Joe Biden that the proposal risked harming America’s industrial base to “breaking point”.
However, Richard Marles said he had confidence in the US’s ability to juggle different projects.
“There is a line which is that submarines [are] the second-most complicated thing humans have built behind the space shuttle,” he said.
“And when you actually go and test that with people who are building submarines, they say the space shuttle doesn’t come close to a submarine, this is a hugely complex machine.”
Support for shipbuilder Austal
Richard Marles used the opportunity while in the United States to defend Austal, after some US politicians declared the company should not be involved in the building process for US submarines.
Parts of the US Virginia-class submarines are being built by Austal and the company is expected to be a contender in constructing the nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS deal.
Mr Marles said that Austal’s facilities were a “national asset.”
“Austal has made a really significant contribution to the American navy,” he said.
“We use Austal in a number of platforms within the Australian system, it’s an Australian company which has made a significant contribution to the US Navy and I think that’s been good for brand Australia.”
