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Australia adds US$3.2 billion to nuclear submarine shipyard under AUKUS
The additional A$4.6 billion investment is set to fund new infrastructure and worker training, and it would expand the Osborne yard to 10 times the size of the current shipyard.
Australia said it will add an additional A$4.6 billion, or US$3.2 billion, to support construction tied to its nuclear-powered submarine program under the AUKUS defense pact with the United States and Britain, according to SCMP Economy.
Under the 2021 AUKUS deal, Australia is set to receive three nuclear-powered submarines from the United States, with Australia and Britain planning to build a new class of submarine in the 2040s. The funding also responds to scrutiny about whether slower US and UK submarine production could leave Australia short of vessels when needed.
Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said the new investment shows the program is moving forward, framing it as a step toward building the sovereign capability needed to build, operate, maintain, and sustain Australia’s future submarine fleet.
The money will be used for new infrastructure and worker training at a shipyard in Osborne, South Australia, and the planned construction yard is intended to be 10 times the size of the current shipyard that already builds surface ships for the navy, according to SCMP Economy.