Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS South Dakota (SSN 790) transits the Thames River during a homecoming event at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn. (US Navy)
AVALON AIR SHOW — In a surprisingly public shot, the leader of the Australian opposition, Peter Dutton, told an audience of reporters here that his country should not buy British submarines as part of the AUKUS deal to supply Australia with nuclear attack boats.
“The beauty in my mind with the American model, of the Virginia class, was that it was a proven design, it gave us interoperability with the Americans and there will be more American subs in the Indo-Pacific than there will be British submarines,” Dutton told reporters.
The much-anticipated AUKUS decision on the submarines has not been revealed yet, and Dutton’s comments didn’t sit well with the current minister for defense industry, who called them “incredibly irresponsible.” Pat Conroy, also at the show, said the former minister is “either being mischievous or he’s not privy to the latest information. I’ve just come back from Barrow in the United Kingdom where I’ve got a full briefing on what the United Kingdom is doing. I stay in regular contact with the US Navy, and we’ll make announcements very shortly about the optimal path forward on our nuclear propelled submarines.”
The basic problem with buying American subs is that the US doesn’t seem able to build nuclear attack boats quickly enough to meet its stated requirement of 66, which prompted two top defense lawmakers in the Senate to caution President Joe Biden against committing the US to supplying Australia with nuclear boats.
Given the concerns about American capacity and prior comments from Australian defense minister Richard Marles, there is reason to think Britain’s next-generation sub, which will require a much smaller crew than the American boats, is in play. The SSNR program, as the next-gen sub is known, would also allow Australia to make modifications that might make it more effective in the Indo-Pacific theater where it will operate.
The strategy announcement about which country will sell its technologies to Australia is due in the next week or two and is expected to be made in Washington by President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Australia has said it plans to build a fleet of nuclear attack boats. They are almost certain to have Lockheed Martin’s combat management system, regardless of whether it’s a British or an American boat.
Speaking to reporters, Dutton offered a detailed defense of his position, similar to what US lawmakers have said. When he was defense minister under the previous Liberal Party government, he was told it “was very clear that [the British company] Rolls Royce didn’t have any production capability — left no headroom.”
Dutton said he worries “that if the government’s taken a decision to go for a cheaper design, that it will delay the delivery of those submarines.” Importantly, Dutton also said he thought Australia could jointly crew existing nuclear boats, no matter which country sells its design to Australia. “That’s got to be the reality on any on any platform.”
