Please note readers that the gift of $4.6B to the UK submarine industrial base (SIB) matches the gift to the UK SIB of a similar sum, Together with our other gift of $8B to upgrade Stirling naval base in WA enabling UK and US nuclear submarines use, this totals close to $18B of public money. Just think about how much public housing, schools, teachers, nurses could be achieved with this initial outlay of the $368B allocated for AUKUS. Our government is NOT governing for the people! We need to step up our advocacy for peace justice and a secure future. Get active join with others in IPAN ipan.org.au
SYDNEY — The plan for Australia to build its own nuclear-powered attack submarines with help from Britain and the United States got a major boost today as the Australian and UK defense ministers announced Canberra would contribute $4.6 billion AUD ($3 billion USD) to the UK to help build and design the boats nuclear reactors and design the subs.
At the same time, the AUKUS partners revealed the first main contractors to build the boats: British firm BAE Systems and Australia’s ASC Pty Ltd.
“This investment, alongside funding from the UK Ministry of Defence, will enable the Rolls-Royce Derby site to double in size, with a further 1,170 highly-skilled jobs created,” UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement put out ahead of a visit by him and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles to the South Australian shipyard where the SSN AUKUS boats will be built.
Australia’s newly announced investment will flow over a decade and will help ensure Australian requirements are part of design half the world away. During the same time, the Australian government will also invest some $8 billion AUD ($5.3 billion USD) in major improvements to HMAS Stirling, the main sub base in Western Australia. It needs to be enlarged to cope with larger Virginia-class sub visits and must be secured to meet US and UK standards for protecting nuclear secrets and equipment.
On top of that, more than $2 billion AUD ($1.3 billion USD) will be spent over the next few years to build a new sub shipyard in Osborne, South Australia...
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