Australia won’t have nuclear submarines until the 2040s, making the country vulnerable as our current submarines start to become obsolete around 2038.
The project should move more quickly, but having a nuclear submarine by 2030 is “very optimistic,” according to Defence Minister Richard Marles.
He reaffirmed that Australia’s first nuclear submarine employing British or American technology is not anticipated to enter service until the 2040s in an interview with ABC radio on Tuesday morning.
The reality is that the previous administration was considering building a new nuclear submarine in the 2040s when the election was held. That was their location, he said.
When asked if that deadline could be accelerated to as early as 2030, Mr. Marles responded that would be “very optimistic.”
“We will consider every possibility to try to advance that time,” was the statement. It would be overly optimistic to move it up to eight years from now, in my opinion.
The six Australian Collins class submarines were scheduled to be retired in 2038, but the Coalition planned to prolong their service lives.
Earlier this month, Peter Dutton, a former defense minister, disclosed that the Pentagon was looking into purchasing two US nuclear-powered submarines of the Virginia class.
If the submarines were built in Australia, they would arrive at least 10 years earlier than planned.
Mr. Marles claimed he was amenable to other possibilities for closing the deficit.
“We must consider how to close the gap. I can only say that. And how we do it is something I’m open to discussing,” he remarked earlier this month.
Under the AUKUS agreements with the US and UK, Australia declared plans to buy six nuclear-powered submarines last year.
In doing so, the French business Naval Group had to abandon a $90 billion deal for traditional diesel-powered submarines.
After the statement outraged the French government, Anthony Albanese will meet with President Emmanuel Macron this week to mend fences.