A nuclear submarine from USA will be undergoing maintenance for the first time in Australia on Friday. The AUKUS partners took this step to pacify the aggression in the Indo-Pacific, defence ministers of Australia, UK and the USA said.
Over the past year, the Australian personnel were trained with the United States and Britain. This came in ahead of the submarine maintenance at the HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. The training involved personnel from all three nations.
STABILIZING THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION
The ministers said that this step was taken to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
Ministers of the three countries gave a joint statement regarding the maintenance of the submarine. They said, “Our navies are committed to reinforcing the same guiding principles within Australia. These principles have allowed the USA and UK to safely operate nuclear-powered ships for nearly 70 years.”
They added, “The partners in the AUKUS pact were committed to setting the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard for acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability for Australia”.
The statement cited U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey.
The US Virgin-class submarine and a US service ship have arrived at the HMAS Sterling for maintenance, with equipment and crew. US submarine ports generally do this maintenance process.
Starting in 2027, the Australian base will host a rotating presence of one British Astute-class submarine and up to four U.S. Virginia-class submarines.
This will help Australia gain experience in managing conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines over the next decade.
The defence department addressed concerns about nuclear waste. It assured that no radioactive material will be transferred ashore during maintenance. This is because Australia lacks a nuclear power industry.
Last week, the AUKUS also removed a hurdle in the path of the maintenance task. They reduced defence export controls between Australia, Britain and the United States.
BOOSTING DEFENCE SUPPLY
In the next two decades, Australia will acquire and develop nuclear-powered submarines. This includes jointly developing conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines with Britain and USA, and U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Rotations of the US nuclear submarines through Australia will boost its presence in the Indo-Pacific. This is essential for Australia, due to China’s dominance in the South China Sea, U.S. lawmaker Michael McCaul said. China is putting the Philippines under pressure in the disputed waterway,.
U.S. submarine maintenance in Australia is a step helping to “better deter aggression in the region and uphold the rules-based international order”, the ministers added in Friday’s statement.
Drills by U.S. B-2 stealth bomber aircraft in Queensland on the east coast include aerial refuelling by the Royal Australian Air Force, the defence department said, after plans flagged last month for an increased rotational presence of U.S. forces.
