US starts to build submarine presence on strategic Australian coast under AUKUS
In the control room of the American Virginia class attack submarine USS Minnesota, off the Western Australian coast, sonar operators adjust to the chatter of dolphins in new waters where the U.S. submarine presence will soon grow significantly.
Details:
On a training exercise from its home port in Guam, USS Minnesota is a forerunner to four Virginia class submarines that will be hosted at a Western Australian naval base from 2027, under the AUKUS partnership to transfer nuclear submarine capability to Australia.
Crew use video game joysticks to interrogate screen images from a photonic mast that has replaced a periscope.
Life aboard can mean up to 100 days without seeing sunlight, and intermittent communication with families via email to maintain stealth.
About AUKUS:
It is a trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Australia agreed in 2021 that focuses on technology sharing in the Indo-Pacific region.
The alliance is widely understood to be a strategic buildup in response to, and a deterrence against, Chinese aggression and ambitions in that strategically important area.
• AUKUS is intended to strengthen the ability of each government to support security and defense interests, building on longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties.
It consists of two key pillars..
o Pillar 1 focuses on supporting Australia to acquire its first conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet. It does not involve the transfer of nuclear weapons to Australia.
o Pillar 2 focuses on cooperation in eight advanced military capability
areas:-
artificial intelligence (Al),
quantum technologies,
innovation,
information sharing,
and cyber,
undersea,
hypersonic,
counter-hypersonic,
and electronic warfare domains.