The Navy’s top submarine officer this week said the tripartite AUKUS agreement’s optimal pathway would have the U.S. sell at least three attack submarines to Australia in the 2030s.
Following his remarks at the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium on Nov. 7, Commander of Submarine Forces Vice Adm. Bill Houston told reporters the current plan is for the U.S. government to sell two in-service Virginia-class attack submarines to Australia in 2032 and 2035, followed by one newly built boat in 2038.
Houston said none of the submarines sold will contain the Virginia Payload Module. The module will give the Navy increased missile capacity to make up for the decommissioning of four Ohio-class guided-missile submarines.
The third submarine bound for Australia, the only new-build Virginia board the country is currently slated to receive, would be a Block Seven vessel. That is one of the first set of boats that will eschew the Virginia Payload Module in favor of what Houston called a “classic Virginia” configuration. The Block Seven attack submarines are expected to start construction in 2030.
Houston said the U.S. is prepared to sell up to five total attack submarines to Australia, if necessary, to hedge against any issues that come up when Australia attempts to build its own new nuclear-powered attack submarine, known for now as SSN-AUKUS.
The SSN-AUKUS design will be shared with the U.K. and is based on the U.K.’s previous work for the next-generation attack submarine that will succeed the Kingdom’s Astute-class boats.
A bill pending in the House of Representatives would allow the U.S. to sell up to two Virginia-class boats within 15 years. A recent Congressional Budget Office predicted that if the bill becomes law, the U.S. Navy would transfer the first vessel in 2030 and the second in 2033 at a cost to Australia of about $3 billion each.
A version of this story first appeared in Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor’s affiliate publication Defense Daily.
