The US plans to deploy nuclear submarines in Australia: what goals does Washington pursue?
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The Pentagon is planning to deploy US nuclear submarines to the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia. The first submarines are expected to arrive there as early as 2027, with a total of up to four submarines planned.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal .
According to the publication, the deployment of submarines will be part of a strategy to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region . The US currently bases submarines on the island of Guam, but the new location is seen as an additional strategic opportunity.
US Navy Rear Admiral Lincoln Reifstek noted that the new base will allow submarines to be more quickly restored to combat readiness if they are damaged.
“If you’re in some conflict and your ships get damaged, you want to get back into the fight quickly. So having that geography to reinforce what you have in Guam, to reinforce what you have in Pearl Harbor… it’s going to allow the U.S. Navy to get back into the action faster,” Lincoln Reifstek said.
Australia plans to invest about $5.6 billion in the modernization of the HMAS Stirling base. This involves the creation and expansion of a number of facilities:
- training center;
- housing for staff;
- modernization of the submarine pier;
- facility for working with radioactive waste;
- power supply systems.
In addition, Australia has allocated about $8.4 billion for the construction of the Henderson Shipbuilding and Service Complex, where it is planned to create dry docks for submarine repairs.
Hudson Institute senior fellow Brian Clark said the infrastructure in Australia should be larger than the US base in Guam.
“Theoretically, the Navy could implement a major overhaul package in Australia and reduce the amount of work required when the submarine returns home,” said Brian Clark.
The publication notes that the deployment of American forces is formally considered rotational, as Australia does not allow the permanent location of foreign bases. At the same time, Australian officials expect about 1,200 military personnel to move to the region from the United States and the United Kingdom, which also plans to station its submarine at the base.
According to the report, these plans are part of the AUKUS agreement between the US, the UK and Australia. Under the agreement, Australia is to receive its own Virginia-class nuclear submarines from the US in the early 2030s.
Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed doubts about the feasibility of such arrangements.
“Is it in Australia’s interests to have a US submarine base in Stirling and not have our own submarines? I don’t think it’s in our interests,” Malcolm Turnbull said.
He also added that the AUKUS agreement, in his opinion, affected the issue of the country’s sovereignty.
By the way, China has placed over a hundred intercontinental ballistic missiles in mines near the border with Mongolia and is actively building up its nuclear potential.
As a reminder, China has begun forming its own “shadow fleet” of gas tankers , which will allow the country to import Russian liquefied gas, which is under US sanctions.
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