Australians train on British nuclear submarines for the first time

The alliance, which began last September, prompted Australia to cancel a contract for a conventional French submarine in favor of US and British-backed nuclear submarines, affecting relations with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The training plan was announced when British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace received his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, who was on his first visit to the UK since the new Australian government took office in May.

“Today is a significant milestone in preparing the UK and Australia for the growing threats to the liberal democratic order, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region,” Wallace said.

“Not only have we advanced our defense planning, but Secretary Marless has also been involved in the commissioning of our latest attack submarine, which will launch Royal Australian Navy submarines as we develop our combined capabilities over the next few years.”

HMS Anson, the fifth Astute-class submarine, was commissioned by the Royal Navy on Wednesday at manufacturer BAE Systems’ yard in Barrow-in-Furness, northern England.

The company said BAE Systems is also building the Dreadnought class of submarines, which will replace Vanguard, Britain’s stand-alone nuclear deterrent, and is expected to enter service for the first time in the early 2030s.

It has begun work on the next generation of submarines that will eventually succeed the Astute class, called SSN-Replacement (SSNR).

Australia has not yet selected a US or British nuclear-powered submarine design.

The chief of the Royal Australian Navy’s nuclear submarine task force, Jonathan Mead, told “The Strategist” of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in May that the Astute class and the US Virginia class were in the mix, along with the US SSNR and SSNX. .

Australia will become the seventh country to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the United States, Britain, France, China, India and Russia.

Australia does not have nuclear weapons, but it does use nuclear propulsion systems for ships, as they are more difficult to track than conventional powered submarines.