Australian sailors to work on U.S. nuclear subs as part of trilateral plan

Australian sailors will provide critical maintenance support to American nuclear-powered attack submarines in the next stage of preparations to eventually command their own fleet under the security partnership among Australia, Britain and the U.S.

More than 30 Australian sailors will work alongside U.S. Navy personnel over the next several weeks during a Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period on the subs at HMAS Stirling, an Australian naval base.

“The STMP is a significant step in Australia’s acquisition of [the subs], marking the first time Australian personnel will directly participate in the maintenance of a nuclear-powered submarine in Australia,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday in a joint statement with his British and Australian counterparts. “Australian personnel will undertake hands-on learning and observe a range of activities during the STMP.”

The USS Emory S. Land, a submarine tender that provides maintenance support to American subs, is in Australia to coordinate the STMP work.

“Both of our navies are benefiting tremendously from the interoperability we’ve been developing during this deployment and are now better able to support each other’s fleets around the world,” Capt. Brent Spillner, commander of the Emory S. Land, said in a statement. “This STMP marks the first time that Australian workers will perform maintenance on an American [nuclear sub] in Australian waters, but it’s really just the next step in a long partnership.”

Under the Australian-U.K.-U.S. agreement, HMAS Stirling will eventually become the home base for Submarine Rotational Force-West, which will involve the rotational presence of the British Astute class and U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines.

“We are stronger, safer and more effective when we learn, train, work and operate together. The STMP, coupled with the continued learning across our three nations, is an opportunity to share critical skills, training and knowledge and further improve our interoperability,” the Australian, British and U.S. defense chiefs said in their joint statement.

Strengthening Australia’s attack submarine capabilities is part of the U.S.-led effort to counter China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon has labeled Beijing the top  “pacing challenge” for the U.S.