AUKUS

[ORAC]

https://www.navylookout.com/royal-na...rine-shortage/

Royal Navy sends HMS Anson to Australia despite submarine shortage

Royal Navy submarine HMS Anson arrived in Gibraltar last week, her first stop after sailing from Faslane on 10th January. It was officially confirmed last year that a boat would be going to join Submarine Rotational Force–West in Western Australia during 2026.

Defence Minister, Luke Pollard, said in December, that as part of the UK commitment to AUKUS, an Astute-class boat would join SRF-West based at HMAS Stirling, near Perth. Pollard described the deployment as “a core planning assumption for the RN under AUKUS” and said the government judges the commitment to be “both realistic and manageable within existing force planning”.

To many observers, the timing of the deployment seems extraordinary as the RN does not have any other SSNs available. Tensions with Russia continue to rise, and their nefarious maritime activity is on the increase. The UK must continue to play its part in AUKUS, but in the short term, perhaps more local concerns should be the priority. Placing the sole attack submarine on the other side of the globe appears to be at odds with vigorous official warnings to Russiathat “any threat will be met with strength and resolve”…..