© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Australian Protection Minister Richard Marles gestures towards U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin throughout their trilateral assembly with British Protection Secretary Ben Wallace on the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin La
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Australia is anticipated to purchase as much as 5 U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines within the 2030’s as a part of a landmark protection settlement between Washington, Canberra and London, 4 U.S. officers mentioned on Wednesday.
The settlement, generally known as the AUKUS pact, could have a number of phases with at the very least one U.S. submarine visiting Australian ports within the coming years and finish within the late 2030’s with a brand new class of submarines being constructed with British designs and American expertise, one of many officers mentioned.
The officers spoke on situation of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the topic forward of a proper announcement on Monday. The Pentagon referred queries to the White Home, which declined to verify particulars about any upcoming announcement