December 16, 2024
Natasha Bajema
The following is an excerpt from Foreign Policy.
The modern race to build undetectable submarines dates from the 1960s. In that decade, the United States and the Soviet Union began a game of maritime hide-and-seek, deploying ever-quieter submarines as well as more advanced tracking and detection capabilities to spot their adversary’s vessels.
That game continues to this day, but with a wider field of players. In the coming months, the U.S. Navy plans to homeport the USS Minnesota on Guam. This Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine is among the quietest subs ever made. Advanced nuclear propulsion like the Minnesota’s gives the vessel a superior ability to operate covertly. More of its kind will be deployed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to compete with China for influence and military dominance, especially over the Indo-Pacific region.
As part of the landmark deal known as AUKUS (for the initials of its partner states), Australia will acquire, operate, and maintain three to five U.S. Virginia-class subs, each of which will cost about U.S. $4.3 billion; an additional five subs will be a special AUKUS-class built in the United Kingdom and Australia using U.S. nuclear propulsion technology.
In exchange for access to this technological edge, Australia has agreed to make substantial multibillion-dollar investments in the U.S. and U.K. naval shipbuilding industries. The deal could last until at least the 2050s and cost up to $368 billion.
These submarines are expected to assume a deterrence mission against China and its nuclear modernization plans, which include the deployment of submarine-launched ballistic missiles capable of targeting the United States.
Continue reading at Foreign Policy.
