Australia to Sequentially Acquire Three Used U.S. Nuclear Submarines Starting in 2032

Australia has decided to sequentially acquire three used U.S.-made nuclear-powered submarines (nuclear subs) starting in 2032.

According to Yonhap News Agency, on May 31 (local time), Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey met in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia Security Summit and confirmed this plan.

Australia had initially planned, under the security alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom known as AUKUS, to acquire two active-duty Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) currently operated by the U.S. Navy and one newly built vessel from the United States. However, under the revised agreement, Australia will now receive three used Virginia-class submarines of the same specification, with one delivered every four years beginning in 2032.

In a joint statement from the AUKUS defense ministers’ meeting, the officials said, "We welcome the proposed approach to streamline Australia's acquisition of Virginia-class submarines, simplify supply chain management and operational and maintenance requirements, and maximize cost efficiency."

Deputy Prime Minister Marles stated, "This change in the project is expected to yield significant cost savings," adding, "We are working to find every cost-effective option as we proceed down this path." However, he clarified that there would be little change in the overall cost of the AUKUS submarine project, which will amount to approximately $235 billion (about 35.4 trillion won) over 30 years.

The U.S. Navy currently possesses 24 Virginia-class submarines. However, the annual construction rate of Virginia-class submarines at U.S. shipyards is only about 1.1 to 1.2 vessels per year, falling short of the target of 2.33 vessels per year. As a result, there has been debate within the United States regarding the delivery of newly constructed submarines—already in short supply—to Australia.

Meanwhile, under the AUKUS plan, the U.S. Navy is scheduled to deploy Virginia-class submarines to Australia beginning next year. The United Kingdom and Australia also plan to jointly develop AUKUS-class nuclear submarines incorporating advanced U.S. technology, with each country building the vessels at their respective shipyards. The first delivery of new submarines is expected in the late 2030s for the United Kingdom and the early 2040s for Australia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.