The US Department of Defense has asked Congress to allow the transfer of nuclear submarines to Australia under the AUKUS agreement.
The Pentagon’s proposals include allowing the sale of two Virginia-class submarines, training Australians in the use of submarines, and allowing Canberra to invest in a US submarine industrial base.
The AUKUS agreement calls for Australia to buy three to five submarines in the 2030s as part of the second phase of the agreement.
Now the Pentagon is asking for permission to transfer two submarines so far, without naming specific deadlines for completing the transfer and specific nuclear submarines. The department explains this by the fact that much depends on the degree of Australia’s readiness to accept submarines.
The Pentagon is also asking Congress for permission to accept Australian payments to support the US submarine manufacturing base. Australia has offered to invest an undisclosed amount in the U.S. submarine industrial base under AUKUS.
The AUKUS trilateral security pact was signed by the US, Australia and the UK in 2021. According to experts, this agreement is directed against the growing influence of China in the Pacific region. Moreover, it is part of the US military-technical expansion program. Initially, Australia contracted submarines from France, but the United States made every effort to disrupt these contracts.
Source: topwar
