They said they were “fully committed” to developing a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.
“We are pleased with the progress in our trilateral program for Australia to establish a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability,” the leaders said.
While the plan to build nuclear submarines has been widely welcomed by defence experts, there has been ongoing concern that there could be a major capability gap because the current fleet of Collins-class submarines are due to begin going out of service in 2038 and the nuclear-powered boats may not arrive until the 2040s.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton in December last December told this masthead he was extremely confident that Australia would have its first nuclear-powered submarine before 2038, saying recent discussions with American and British officials had given him renewed optimism.
Mr Dutton has also warned that a war over Taiwan could not be discounted and that it would be inconceivable for Australia not to join the US in defending the island.
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Since AUKUS was announced in September last year, the three countries have held multiple high-level meetings to advance the plans. For several weeks in February, teams from Australia, the US and Britain visited multiple sites across the country to investigate what was needed to build and sustain nuclear boats.
Initial steps are also underway to ensure Australia has a workforce with the necessary skills, training, and qualifications to build, operate, and sustain the nuclear submarines, according to sources from all three countries.
Mr Morrison last month outlined the options for the base for the submarines, saying Defence had reviewed 19 potential sites and estimated a $10 billion cost for the base at one of the preferred east coast sites to add to an existing base near Perth.
The federal government is also taking initial steps to secure additional land to build a construction yard for the nuclear submarines, including land adjacent to the existing Osborne North Shipyard in Adelaide.
Mr Morrison and Mr Dutton on Tuesday announced defence giants Raytheon and Lockheed Martin will lead the nation’s $1 billion plan to build guided missiles, and will equip the nation’s Super Hornet fighters with Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM-ER) by 2024, three years ahead of schedule.
Australia to build hypersonic missiles with US and Britain as arms race heats up
Source: Philippines Alive
