Australia announces an additional $3.2 billion for nuclear submarine construction.

According to a report by Reference News Network on July 27, Agence France-Presse reported on July 24 that Australia announced an additional $3.2 billion for the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, which is part of a controversial defense agreement between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Under the AUKUS agreement signed in 2021—Australia's most expensive defense project to date—Australia will receive three nuclear-powered submarines from the United States. Subsequently, Australia and the United Kingdom will jointly build a new generation of submarines in the 2040s. However, the agreement has faced skepticism, with concerns that the slow submarine production rates in the U.S. and U.K. may prevent Australia from obtaining the submarines it needs.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles stated that the additional $3.2 billion investment in the shipyard located in Osborne, South Australia, "demonstrates that the AUKUS alliance is progressing as planned."

He stated, "This investment is an important step for Australia in building autonomous capabilities, which are crucial for the construction, operation, maintenance, and support of our future submarine fleet."

In the next 30 years, Canberra is expected to invest up to $250 billion in the AUKUS alliance. (Translated by Yang Xuelei)