Australian divers will train on a recently commissioned British nuclear-powered submarine, the latest step in the countries’ new defense alliance.
Defense Secretary Richard Marles joined his UK counterpart Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday (early morning AEST) to christen the £1.3bn (£2.2bn) HMS Anson dollars).
“Seeing the enormity of what it is to have the ability to build a nuclear-powered submarine is a huge decision for our nation to walk down this path — we don’t take it lightly, but we’re really determined to do it.” Marles said. .
Defense Secretary Richard Marles (right) joined his UK counterpart Ben Wallace on Wednesday 31 August to commission HMS Anson. (Richard Marles)
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said the new submarine underlined the UK’s commitment to shared security, particularly with the US and Australia.
“Today is an important milestone in the UK and Australia’s preparedness to deal with the growing threats to the liberal democratic order, particularly in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
“Not only have we made progress in our defense planning, but Minister Marles was involved in the commissioning of our latest attack submarine, which will be embarked by Royal Australian Navy divers as we develop the our shared capabilities in the coming years.”
Defense Secretary Richard Marles (centre) joined his UK counterpart Ben Wallace (right) and Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday 31 August to commission HMS Anson. (Richard Marles)
The AUKUS deal granted Australia access to UK and US nuclear submarine technology, but has yet to result in a contract to build any ships.
It is a long-term project, with Wallace admitting that Britain is not in a position to build a ship like the Anson for Australia “in the here and now”, needing to build seven more for its own fleet and advance the schedule at least. the next decade.
Marles said he had had “productive” talks about the deal and would discuss costs, non-proliferation and whether to go with UK- or US-built submarines in the future.
“What’s really clear is that it’s not just about the hardware,” he said.
“It’s not just about the submarine as important as that. But there’s also a question about building human capacity.”
AUKUS also sparked a diplomatic meltdown between Canberra and Paris when French President Emmanuel Macron accused former Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him.
Defense Secretary Richard Marles joined his UK counterpart Ben Wallace and Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday 31 August to commission HMS Anson. (Ben Wallace)
Marles also met with his counterparts from Germany and, most notably, France on this week’s European trip.
Both Marles and Wallace insisted that France remained an important and reliable partner in the Pacific even after the signing of the AUKUS pact.
Even before the row between Morrison and Macron, caused by the secrecy surrounding the cancellation of a $90 billion deal with French company Naval Group, Australia’s submarine program had been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
Marles also admitted he had held “frank” talks with manufacturer BAE Systems about reviving the country’s Hunter-class frigate program.
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