Overview
- Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told an independent AUKUS inquiry that US shipyards are unlikely to double Virginia-class production and that there is a very real risk Australia receives no interim submarines.
- Turnbull said losing the Virginias would leave Australia with a period of zero submarine capability between the retirement of its Collins-class boats and the arrival of bespoke AUKUS submarines.
- Australian and US officials say the subs remain a defence priority and have taken steps to help production, including extra funding and sending up to 130 Australian tradespeople to assist US yards.
- A senior Pentagon witness reported that additional funding has not sped deliveries and described the arrangement as conditions-based rather than fixed to a timetable.
- The dispute has widened political debate over AUKUS and its reliance on US and UK industrial capacity, and these concerns are being aired before a crowd-funded inquiry chaired by Peter Garrett.