Biden to fast-track nuclear-powered submarines for Australia to counter China

President Joe Biden Announced a new agreement with Australia Britain provides the British with conventionally armed nuclear submarines. This is a unique agreement to counter China’s There have been attempts to take control of the Pacific by naval forces.

Biden made the announcement Monday aboard the submarine. USS Missouri In San Diego, California, he was flanked in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as well as British Prime Minister Rishi Shahak. This deal represents the first concrete steps by the allies to strengthen the AUKUS partnership, which was announced over a year ago.

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The deal won’t provide Australia with a nuclear submarine force until 2030. This is still “much earlier than many had expected,” Reporters were told by a senior official in the administration. “It’s a multi-phased approach that will deliver to Australia that capability far more quickly than even we thought possible when we originally and initially launched this partnership. It will result in all three nations lifting their game in their respective submarine industrial bases. It will involve a level of sensitive, sophisticated technological cooperation that is almost without precedent.”

Australia may purchase five conventionally armed nuclear powered submarines of the Virginia-class class, but delivery is not expected until years. The official said that submarines from the U.S. will be more frequent starting in this year as Australia builds up its infrastructure and facilities. A rotational force of submariners will be established in Australia by the United States and the United Kingdom starting in 2027.

Australia will also be looking to build its own SSNAUKUS submarine simultaneously, but it won’t likely be finished until 2040s because of a shortage of infrastructure.