nuclear-news

Two years after AUKUS announcement, American politicians are divided on delivery of submarines to Australia

ABC By North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan in Washington DC, 16 Sept 23

A Republican senator has renewed calls for the US to step up its production of nuclear-powered submarines before selling them as part of AUKUS, arguing America is as “unprepared” as it was ahead of the Pearl Harbor attack. 

The US is set to transfer at least three Virginia-class submarines to Australia from the early 2030s under the AUKUS agreement.

However, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, Roger Wicker, told a hearing in Washington this week that the US was failing to meet its own shipbuilding targets.

“We should be producing somewhere between 2.3 and 2.5 attack submarines a year to fulfil our own requirements as we implement AUKUS,” he said………….

Senator Wicker insists he supports the AUKUS agreement but has refused to back legislation in congress authorising the transfer of the submarines, arguing substantial new investments are needed in America’s shipbuilding capacity first.

In a letter to the president last month, he and 24 other Republicans argued selling submarines to Australia without a clear plan to replace them would “unacceptably weaken” the US fleet at the same time that China expands its military power.

Push for speed amid prospect of another Trump term

The AUKUS agreement will see Australia obtain up to five Virginia-class submarines from the US before eventually building its own nuclear-powered boats.

But two years after the deal was first announced, the US Congress still needs to sign off on several legislative proposals to progress it.

They include legislation to approve the sale of the subs, to allow Australia to make a promised $3 billion contribution to US shipyards, and to facilitate the sharing of sensitive technology………………………………………………………………………………………………

The political debate in the United States comes amid ongoing questions in Australia about the merits and the cost of AUKUS, which could have a price tag of up to $386 billion…………………………

Tensions within the Labor Party were exposed at its recent national conference, while former prime minister Paul Keating has described the agreement as the “worst deal in all history”.

more https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-16/aukus-submarine-deal-two-years-on-republicans-warning/102860868

September 17, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA