In a major milestone for the AUKUS partnership, the first cohort of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) submariners has successfully qualified to serve aboard the Royal Navy’s Astute-class submarines as nuclear engineers, according to a news update.

This marks the culmination of two years of intensive training, where Australian personnel served both at sea and on shore within the UK’s nuclear submarine training system. Their qualification now permits them to deploy on UK submarines as Marine Engineering Officers of the Watch, responsible for overseeing nuclear engineering systems onboard the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge Astute-class attack submarines.

The training programme is part of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, aimed at enhancing Australia’s future capability to operate conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

Rear Admiral Jude Terry, Director of People and Training for the Royal Navy, hailed the success of the programme in the news update:

“The delivery of world-class training to Royal Australian Navy people in the UK is an important component of our support to Australia and the AUKUS Agreement.

The increasing number of Australians qualified to operate conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines shows the progress being made under the Agreement and our collective commitment to global peace and security.”

As Australia prepares for its future nuclear-powered submarine fleet, more Australian sailors are following in the footsteps of this pioneering cohort, with further groups already undergoing training in the UK.

In addition to UK-based training, the Royal Navy has expanded its support in Australia, delivering specialist nuclear propulsion instruction to over 250 Australian personnel last year alone.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

34 COMMENTS

    • Nobody will….even if the Virginia element isn’t delivered [which I suspect Trump won’t being as myopic as he us] the AUS + UK element will roll on.

      Those traitors are signed and the investments are being made in Derby, Barrow and AUS.

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    • Only a Frenchman eager to nurse his schadenfreude would do, and would do so misguidedly. Whatever happens with the Virginias (and I suspect Australia will never see them), the UK/Australian SSN-AUKUS will keep rolling. AUKUS was originally a UK/Australian deal anyway before the yanks offered the stop gap

    • Maybe not.

      Maybe, once the US pulls out, aim to get Canada and maybe others in on the deal, rename if from AUKUS to maybe CANZUK?

      • Canada is one of the lowest payers in NATO. They probably won’t even buy all the river class, getting them to spend SSN money is a pipe dream.

        • Well they are upping their spend substantially and pushing ahead with cooperating with Australia on a new over the horizon radar defence Network and with new cooperation with Europe moving away from the US who Carney has already stated is no longer a reliable ally and that defence spending must increase. Time will tell how this resolves itself into actual new kit but I would be surprised if it isn’t quite substantial.

      • More playground insults from the trolls who otherwise seem to be unable to offer anything of substance or intelligent to the actual debate here, so the irony if nothing else, is pretty compelling.

    • Why? The US is pivoting to the Pacific, and the bulk of the AUKUS plans are for post-Trump. I expect it’ll be slow, but a joint British-Australian SSN is not unlikely.

      • I think AUKUS is eminently sensible. It looks like Britain will struggle to get recognition for anything its done or continues to do. I dont think there is anything bad in defending Europe as long as they actually pull their weight. Britain should still look outwards or the BRICS will have that lunch.
        Canada post Trudeau is in poor shape militarily for sure and might find good partners in the AUKUS with or without as seems possible the US at least for now.

  1. Question has to be asked, can BAE / Rolls Royce improve delivery times on the bombers to clear the decks for more Astutes OR next SSN?

    Rodders, old chap?

      • I think everyone has got that memo.

        Keir certainly has and I think it has made it to Rachel at customer complaints too!

    • There’s plenty of disused land next door to the submarine construction yard in Barrow – you never know, if enough orders are made or a country like Canada wants in then maybe a second construction hanger could be justified.

      • Not sure if Canda is pro-nuclear or not? Unless there’s a conventional powered version of the SSNR? Aren’t they looking at Korean and French designs?

        • I believe so, they were close to going nuclear in the 90s but the ‘peace dividend’ thwarted that move. I personally doubt they will change their mind now when the sums involved would probably be better spent on bolstering other assets in a shorter timescale. That said they are suddenly more conscious of their vulnerability in the high north and US threats to Greenland and Russian threats there so SSNs would certainly be a useful asset as the US becomes a suspect ally, and perhaps a threat.

        • Canada will need to control the NW passage and access through their waters to the ice cap, and the sea when the ice cap has retreated.

          Sense says that will need to be nuclear.

          The US attitude is important, however.

          • it makes sense meaning it costs money which is why Canada will never do it. Far too used to sponging off of Uncle Sam.

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