After months of suspense, the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Australia have a roadmap to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs). The much-awaited announcement came earlier this week at a naval base in San Diego, California, where US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outlined the AUKUS submarine programme’s parameters. Under the terms of the agreement, the US will sell three used Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the early 2030s, with an option for Australia to purchase two more if needed. This is accompanied by a joint US-UK submarine construction initiative, as well as efforts to train Australian sailors to operate SSNs.
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