https://www.defensenews.com/naval/20...a-under-aukus/

Here’s when the US Navy plans to sell subs to Australia under AUKUS

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy intends to sell Australia used Virginia-class attack submarines in 2032 and 2035, plus a new boat in 2038, leaders said.

This timeline provides a more detailed breakdown of the submarine-sharing arrangement between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom announced in March.

Those three countries, which are signatories to the trilateral security agreement AUKUS, are working to familiarize Australian sailors as well as the shipbuilding and ship repair workforce with nuclear submarines.

As training efforts in the U.S. and Australia ramp up, the partners should be ready to declare Australia “sovereign ready” by the early 2030s, Capt. Lincoln Reifsteck, the AUKUS integration and acquisition program manager, said last week at the Naval Submarine League’s annual symposium.

Assuming that designation is met on time, Australia will start building its inventory of nuclear-powered submarines almost immediately.

In 2032 and 2035, the U.S. will sell in-service Block IV submarines, Reifsteck said, which are currently under construction.

The first Block IV boat was commissioned in 2020, and the final will likely commission around 2026, meaning Australia would receive submarines with between six and 15 years’ worth of use. Virginia-class subs are designed to have 33 years of service life.

The Navy will also sell a new Block VII boat to Australia in 2038. After 10 years of buying submarines with an extra Virginia Payload Module built into the middle to add more missile tubes, the Navy will return to the original Virginia-class length with Block VII, set to begin construction in fiscal 2029.

In parallel, the U.K. and Australia will build a new SSN-AUKUS submarine that both fleets will operate. Australia is to receive Britain’s first SSN-AUKUS in the late 2030s and its first domestically built sub in the early 2040s, according to a slide Reifsteck showed at the symposium. This timeline would allow Australia’s submarine fleet to continue to expand following the sales of the Virginia boats.

While speaking with reporters, Royal Australian Navy Commodore Bradley Francis, who serves as the country’s AUKUS program lead, said the government has selected a company to build the submarine construction yard but had not yet selected a shipbuilder who will work there to build the SSN-AUKUS. That selection will come in the next year, he added.

The allies do have a contingency plan in case the SSN-AUKUS design, construction and test plans fall behind schedule, Reifsteck noted: The U.S. Navy could sell a fourth or fifth Virginia-class submarine to Australia as part of an agreement approved by President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The captain told Defense News after his presentation that “three is definitely the desire; that is the plan,” but the contingency to include additional submarines is important because it asks the U.S. Navy to ensure it has enough margin in its own plans to sell the extra boats if required.

Asked what events might invoke the alliance to pursue the additional sales, Reifsteck said it could be a scheduling issue or any unforeseen factors, citing a pandemic or crisis that “causes dramatic changes” to people, infrastructure, industry and regulations.

The goal, he added, is to reach a point where the AUKUS partners can conduct integrated patrols in the Pacific to ensure regional stability.

Reifsteck also noted negotiations are ongoing between the U.S. and Australia over the latter’s support for the former’s submarine-industrial base. Though some officials have suggested Australia might spend $3 billion on that American sector, Reifsteck said the exact amount and the timing are still in discussion.

“I do expect a substantial, proportional investment,” he said.

AUKUS Defense Ministers Joint Press Briefing

Transcript
https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcr...ress-briefing/

Now at long last, we in New Zealand hopefully have a government, that will support & invest in the military. Also we need to join up with AKUS as soon as possible, rather than burying our heads in the sand, as we did under the previous administration.

Worth watching
Sound is ok, no need for a transcript.
Panelists: • Mr. Ted Colbert, President and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space, and Security • Rep. Seth Moulton, U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts • Mr. Matthew Pottinger, Former U.S. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor • Amb. Kevin Rudd, Ambassador of Australia to the United States; Former Prime Minister of Australia • Rep. Rob Wittman, U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia

Cyber Insights with Army Gen. Paul Nakasone and Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson
Defense.gov | Pentagon Press Secretary Drops Major AnnouncementArmy Gen. Paul Nakasone, who serves as commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service, and Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command, participate in a panel discussion at the Reagan Nation Defense Forum. The panel will discuss protecting our hemisphere and homeland in the cyber age.

"Also we need to join up with AKUS as soon as possible, rather than burying our heads in the sand,"

the NZ govt takes in around NZ 134 Bn a year = US$ 80Bn approx - I don' think that's enough to buy and operate an SSN - the Australians are looking at around $5-6 Bn a year

The submarines grab the headlines, but AUKUS is about much more than just them. If NZ really wants in it should be welcomed for the contribution it can make.
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Further to what video mixdown said. It won't be a Pillar I nuke sub. Pillar II is actually a larger program and is talked about. They may split it up and allow others to join subsections.
https://breakingdefense.com/2023/10/...ives-to-power/

thinking about it the RNZN could have some of their crews on the Aussie and UK boats operating in the area. That would help both the other navies with crewing issues (which they both have ) and also maybe spark more interest in recruitment & retention for the NZ navy - beats sitting on a small patrol boat

Correct pillar 1 is the SSN, pillar 2 is a variety of smaller programs. Like the one they announced a few days ago. Space based radars, seem to be intitally for replacement of E-8 Jstars but with E-3/E-7 awacs eventually. Believe HACM (Hypersonic airbreathing cruise missile)

Pillar 2. Cyber warfare, hypersonics, AI, Qantum and undersea warfare are all generic terms but slowly being fleshed

none of those look very cheap......................

If you are talking surface ships possibly. We already lead a substantial part of the army due to a plan anzac, could see that being expanded to the other services

Some are a lot of money but others are skill based. Cyber warfare and defence is a more skill based system. Kiwis can do a lot with a bit. Rocket Labs is a prime example, small orbital rocket, which AUS has never done

If you think preemptive defence is expensive what till you see what having to fight a war costs.

Elsewhere golder has posted about using AI with UK, US & Australian P-8A’s and other surveillance systems to track hostile submarines. I’d have thought the NZ P-8A’s would fit right in.

29 Nov 1967; Australia launched WRESAT and became 7th nation in space.

Although it’s all been pretty much backwards since then.

It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.
Welcome to 21st Century Warfare.

I'm beginning to think Augustine was optimistic when he had the US down to one fighter aircraft by 2054 :(

https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/naval/13276-christmas-gift-us-congress-green-lights-submarine-sale-to-australia

An early Christmas gift by the US Congress, as members voted to allow the sale of three Viriginia Class submarines to Australia in the 2030s.

The agreement, added to the US Congress’s National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, would allow transfer of the nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarines to Australia after the bill is enacted.

Deputy PM and Minister for Defence Marles reportedly welcomed the news of the AUKUS breakthrough after months of glacial-speed progress in the US.

Been confirmed that SSN-AUKUS will have AN/BYG-1 combat systems and in the previous announcement that RN/RAN will both have same combat systems. Mean the RN will be moving away from the BAE CCS, so leaves the question, is dreadnought getting the BAE or AN/BYG-1

I suspect that the Dreadnought design is too advanced to change the combat system which is a shame as the RN will be supporting two different systems for quite some time. If it’s not too late to fit the AN/BYG-1 to the Dreadnought class, there may be an additional capability available to them as the Ohio SSGN’s use the system to launch large numbers of Tomahawk missiles from the tubes previously housing ballistic missiles - it would potentially add a multi role capability to the RN CASD boats. This would obviously only be considered at a time when the strategic threat was low.

It appears that the agreement involves the upgraded AN/BYG-1 system having the British weapons integrated so that the RN can continue to use their preferred weapons. Having 3 countries using the same system will assist with keeping the development & training costs down.

The passing of the US legislation is a very significant step in this process and it appears to have a lot of bipartisan support.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/i...9edbbec8b212f7

They will be regardless of the a dreadnought due to astute. But its not confirmed or denied about which combat system it uses. I think it will get the american system, dont think its going to be that big of an issue to change it. But ultimately time will tell.

Also note the 2024 defence aquisitions bill has passed both houses. Including the bit about AUKUS, now permits sale of up to 3 Virginia SSN's to Australia