Joe Courtney, US Democratic Representative and founder of the bipartisan AUKUS working group in Congress this morning on RN Breakfast program stated that "It's a fair agreement for the US taxpayer" and "Australia operating submarines in our region is advantageous to the US" The question must be asked was the deal just about providing facilities for UK and UK nuclear submarines to engage in regional warfare? Australia's need for security must be independent and diverse including diplomacy, climate change mitigation and our own DEFENCE v Attach force.
US will cut the production of their own nuclear submarines-The US Navy says it will order just one fast-attack nuclear submarine in 2025, rather than two.
What's next? As part of the AUKUS deal, Australia will provide more than $4.5 billion to bolster America's submarine industrial base. Defence Minister Richard Marles insists AUKUS partners are working "at pace" to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines after the United States revealed it would halve next year's planned procurement of Virginia-class boats.
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