Source : Perth Now news
The minister charged with building up Australia’s arsenal has welcomed the Trump administration’s $US6.6bn ($9.5bn) pledge to build more nuclear submarines as a show of Washington’s commitment to AUKUS.
US President Donald Trump overnight announced plans for a new naval yard in the shipbuilding hub of Baltimore to “build the next generation of American submarines”.
The yard, jointly funded by weapons maker Anduril, will focus on producing Virginia-class submarines – the boats the US agreed to give Australia under AUKUS.
Sluggish production in recent years has spurred concerns the US may not be able to follow through, but the new facility is tipped to lift output by 15 per cent.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy told NewsWire the American announcement is “further confirmation” that Australia, the UK and the US are serious about their AUKUS commitments.
“All three AUKUS nations are committed to boosting their respective industrial bases and this is another step in that direction,” Mr Conroy said, adding that he “visited a new factory in South Carolina just a couple of months ago and saw first hand the progress being made in submarine production in the US”.
“So, this announcement is further confirmation that all three AUKUS partners are investing significantly in our respective industrial bases to ensure the success of AUKUS.
“This is being done to meet respective requirements and timelines, including the delivery of three Virginia-class submarines to Australia by the US.”
In addition to the three Virginia-class submarines, Australia will build five AUKUS-class boats in South Australia.
The new class of submarine is being designed in the UK by BAE Systems.
