Deep relationships: how the US is preparing Australia for a confrontation with China
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have agreed to accelerate the implementation of the naval program as part of the AUKUS partnership. One of the key areas remains the creation of an Australian submarine force with nuclear submarines. How cooperation between the three countries will develop and how the implementation of the project may affect the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region is described in the Izvestia article.
How will Australia's nuclear submarine fleet be built?
The AUKUS Association (A ustralia, U nited K ingdom and U nited S tates) was established in 2021 and officially does not aim to confront any particular country, but is directed against any threats to the three states that formed this bloc in the Asia-Pacific region. It is clear that the first threat that comes to mind is the expansion of China's naval capabilities. And the development of AUKUS initiatives, of course, will be aimed, among other things, at curbing Chinese expansion in the region and countering the growing naval potential of the PLA.
One of the most ambitious partnership projects is the Australian Navy's multi-purpose nuclear submarines (SSN-AUKUS) program. Currently, the design of submarines is underway, which will enter service in both Australia and the United Kingdom in the future.
The first SSN-AUKUS submarines for the British Royal Navy are expected to enter service in the 2030s and gradually replace the Astute-class nuclear submarines. After that, five more boats of this project are planned to be built at Australian shipyards. According to current estimates, the construction of the first SSN-AUKUS will begin no earlier than the end of the 2030s.
However, the participating countries intend to accelerate capacity building before putting new submarines into operation. At a recent meeting in Singapore, the parties agreed to step up the implementation of a number of military-technical cooperation programs and identified key areas of work for the coming years.
The first of these will be the creation of an infrastructure for servicing Allied nuclear submarines at the HMAS Stirling naval base in the Perth area. The SRF-West facility, designed to support American submarines, will be deployed here. Thus, the Australian Navy will begin to join the maintenance of the nuclear submarine fleet, and the allied forces will receive a new base between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. SRF-West will begin operations in 2027, and the first American staff will arrive at the base as early as 2026.
The second element of the program will be the acquisition by Australia of three American nuclear submarines of the Virginia Block IV class. They will be armed with torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles in non-nuclear equipment. The transfer of the submarines is scheduled for 2032, 2035 and 2038.
Receiving three modern nuclear submarines will allow Canberra to significantly expand the capabilities of its fleet and increase the level of interaction with the naval forces of the Allies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The third component of the updated AUKUS program is the program for the development of advanced technologies for unmanned underwater vehicles. The Australian and allied navies should adopt a wide range of drones for surface and underwater forces, which will ensure border protection, create new ocean monitoring capabilities and become the main means of reconnaissance and, in the future, strikes against a potential enemy. In addition, they will provide logistics and the full range of auxiliary operations of the naval forces.
Australian, American and British companies will jointly develop underwater combat drones, but companies from South Korea or Japan, as well as European drone manufacturers, may almost certainly join them. The unmanned vehicle industry has a low entry threshold, and it is possible to achieve success in a relatively short time.
Where will the underwater forces of the AUKUS participants operate
Thus, by the 2040s, Australia may have eight modern submarines and significant experience in cooperation with the Allied nuclear fleet. This will significantly expand the capabilities of not only the Australian Navy, but also the entire system of naval cooperation within the framework of AUKUS.
And there is one more point: with the creation of their own nuclear submarines, South Korea and Japan can join the club of nuclear submarines of the Pacific region. And given the long-standing ties and cooperation with the US Navy, it is likely that these countries will also participate in conducting coordinated military and political activity in the region. And, accordingly, the Australian submarine forces will be able to expand their area of responsibility further north — to the Far East. At the same time, the UK will be able to focus on the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean.
In general, with the development of the AUKUS naval association, everyone seems to benefit. Australia receives a large industrial order, technologies and a serious development of the fleet's capabilities, and consequently, an increase in its authority in the international arena. The UK is receiving a series of new submarines and the opportunity to reduce its activity in the Asia-Pacific region. Well, the United States is expanding its sphere of influence and reducing direct costs for controlling ocean spaces. Of course, at the expense of Australia.
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