--- title: "Australia To Help Maintain Visiting U.S. Nuclear Submarine For The First Time" description: "Teaming up on repairs and upkeep is a sign of things to come as Australia pushes toward its own nuclear-powered submarine future." date: "2024-08-22" modified: "2024-08-22" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/australia-to-help-maintain-visiting-u-s-nuclear-submarine-for-the-first-time" categories: - "Diesel-Electric Submarines" - "Navies" - "Nuclear Attack Submarines (SSNs)" - "Royal Australian Navy" - "Royal Navy" - "Sea" - "Submarines" - "U.S. Navy" --- # Australia To Help Maintain Visiting U.S. Nuclear Submarine For The First Time ![]() *USN* The *Virginia* class submarine USS *Hawaii* is in port in Australia for routine maintenance, with that country's navy set to help out with that work in a first-of-its-kind team-up. This is a new and important step forward in [plans to start rotational deployments]() of U.S. and British nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. That is part of a broader trilateral effort between all three countries to help the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) form its own nuclear-powered, but conventional-armed submarine force with a mixture of [*Virginia* class boats]() and [examples of an all-new design](). USS *Hawaii* arrived at the HMAS Stirling naval base on the western coast of Australia yesterday. The U.S. Navy's submarine tender USS *Emory S. Land*, the crew of which will lead the forthcoming maintenance work, has [been at Stirling since August 16](). ![]() *US Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel pose at HMAS Stirling, with the submarine tender *USS Emory S. Land* seen in the background. *USN* Petty Officer 2nd Class Darek Leary* "The *Emory S. Land* crew will execute planned and emergent maintenance activities including the removal and reinstallation of an antenna located in Hawaii’s sail, divers visually inspecting the underwater towed array and torpedo tube muzzles, and simulating the removal and installation of a trim pump, to include full rigging and preparations," [according to a Navy release](). "This is the first time Australians have participated in a U.S. submarine maintenance period in Australia. More than 30 Australian personnel who participated in a knowledge exchange period that began in January 2024 aboard *Emory S. Land* will execute the majority of planned maintenance work with U.S. support and oversight." “This is an important moment for the Royal Australian Navy,” RAN Rear Adm. Matthew Buckley, the Australian Submarine Agency’s Head of Submarine Capability, said in a statement. “For the first time, we have Australians who were trained and certified aboard *Emory S. Land* using their skills on a U.S. SSN \[nuclear-powered attack submarine\] in Australian waters.” The RAN has been steadily sending [more and more officers]() and [enlisted personnel]() to [the United States]() and [the United Kingdom]() for training on nuclear submarine operations and maintenance. In June, Australia's state-owned ASC Pty Ltd naval shipbuilding enterprise also sent 30 engineers and other shipyard workers to the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii [to learn how to maintain]() *Virginia* class submarines. The total number of ASC Pty Ltd workers to have gone to Pearl Harbor for training is expected to rise to 100 by the middle of next year. ![]() *The USS *Hawaii* undergoing maintenance at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in 2010. *USN** This is all part of what is known as Pillar 1 of the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense cooperation agreement, which was first announced in 2021. Pillar 1's end goal is the aforementioned creation of the RAN's first-ever nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarine force. To get there, the AUKUS partners have laid out a multi-phased roadmap, the next major step in which is new rotational forward-deployments of American and British nuclear-powered submarines to Australia. What is referred to as Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-W) is currently expected to come to HMAS Stirling in 2027. The Australian base is set to get [new and improved infrastructure]() to better support the nuclear-powered submarine deployments. Australian personnel trained and certified performance maintenance on those boats will be critical to SRF-W's operations, as well. Getting the SRF-W up and running will also lay the groundwork for the RAN's own nuclear submarine fleet. The current plan is to begin delivering *Virginia* class submarines to Australia in the early 2030s. These are [expected to be a mixture of]() ex-U.S. Navy and new-production boats. These will be followed by examples of a new design referred to now as SSN-AUKUS, which the United Kingdom is leading the development of, but is also expected to incorporate U.S. technology, as you can read more about [here](). SSN-AUKUS is understood to have evolved from existing work on a successor to the Royal Navy's [*Astute* class]() nuclear-powered attack submarines. ![]() *A rendering of the future SSN-AUKUS design. *U.K. Ministry of Defense** Serious questions have been raised about [how realistic the schedule might be]() for the latter phases of AUKUS' Pillar 1, especially given the U.S. Navy's own demands for *Virginia* class submarines and [concerns about American capacity]() to build those boats. The U.S. military is broadly looking at what could be charitably called a complex budget environment in the coming years amid expectations of [defense spending remaining largely flat, at best](), while [the costs of top-priority projects grow](). Nuclear power in general continues to be a [hot-button issue domestically in Australia]() and there has been opposition to AUKUS Pillar 1 based just around the reactors that are set to power the RAN's future submarines. Australian authorities have been very public about the AUKUS agreement including terms under which the [submarine plans could be terminated]() should a new government in the country decide to do so. Proliferation concerns have been raised, including whether Australia's plans [might expose a loophole]() that bad actors could exploit to pursue nuclear weapons programs. "The STMP \[Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period\] will support Australia’s nuclear stewardship growth through the planning and execution of simulated radiological training evolutions that will not involve the use of radiological material," the U.S. Navy's release on the planned maintenance of USS *Hawaii* at HMAS Stirling pointed notes. "These training evolutions will allow Australian radiological controls policy makers to observe how the U.S. Navy safely handles simulated low-level radiological material as a means to increase their knowledge and develop Australian policy and radiation safety practices that are protective of the workforce, the public, and the environment." The current Australian government remains [bullish on the AUKUS submarine plans](), which would give it a significant boost in naval capabilities and the ability to project them in the Western Pacific. Key advantages of nuclear-powered submarines are their virtually unlimited range and ability to remain submerged and out of sight for months at a time. For the RAN, the planned acquisition of the *Virginias* and SSN-AUKUSs will also bring all-new submarine-launched strike capabilities, including the ability to employ [American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles](). Australian authorities considered integrating Tomahawk onto [the country's six existing *Collins* class]() diesel-electric attack submarines, but ultimately decided against it for reasons of cost and complexity. ![]() *Four of Australia's six *Collins* class submarines. *Royal Australian Navy** Australia's aging *Collins* class boats are increasingly in need of replacement as it is. AUKUS' Pillar 1 controversially supplanted a previous plan to acquire new advanced conventionally-powered submarines from France, a program that had been [much delayed and seen ballooning costs](). All of this comes as Australia and many of its allies, [especially the United States](), are preparing for the prospect [of a major conflict with China]() in the Pacific, [potentially over Taiwan](). The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been working [to expand the capabilities]() and [overall size]() of its own submarine fleets, and [undersea warfare would be]() a [major component]() of any high-end fight in the region. With all this in mind, Australia just being able to better support forward-deployed allied nuclear submarines would be a major boon for future coalition operations. HMAS Stirling is set to be a valuable additional location where U.S. and British nuclear-powered submarines can go for maintenance and other support in the event of future crises or other contingencies. As such, no matter how the RAN's own nuclear-powered submarine plans might evolve going forward, U.S. and Australian personnel working together on the USS *Hawaii* at HMAS Stirling for the first time is a significant development and a sign of things to come. *Contact the author:* [*joe@twz.com*]() ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()