Australia dives deep with $2 billion AUKUS submarine training investment
The AUKUS agreement has recently moved into the Pillar 2 phase while progress has continued on Pillar 1. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The US has given the green light to a potential contract with Australia aimed at bolstering the AUKUS trilateral agreement by enhancing Royal Australian Navy training.
The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia for AUKUS training and training devices for an estimated cost of up to US$2 billion.
The sale is set to advance the trilateral agreement between Australian, the UK and the US by providing equipment to train Royal Australian Navy crews in submarine navigation, communications, ship control and other capabilities.
Australia has requested the training services and devices under the AUKUS Pillar 1 programme. The contract, if passed in the US Congress, will include training devices, personnel training, planning and non-recurring engineering (NRE) services, support equipment, special tools, training software, coursework, and other support and equipment.
Training of private Australian industry personnel by the US will occur only after explicitly authorised by Washington DC, the US DoD noted in a statement published last week.
‘Australia is one of our closest, most trusted, and capable global allies, committed to ensuring peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,’ the DoD said.
‘The US-Australia alliance is critical to US national interests,’ the statement continued. ‘The US has a long history of working with Australia to develop and maintain strong defence capabilities.’
As Shephard recently reported, the AUKUS agreement has moved into the Pillar 2 phase while Pillar 1, largely focused on nuclear submarine capability, has continued to move forward with a particular focus on the new nuclear submarine capability being delivered to Australia.
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