The US has designated the USS Colorado, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, as the first American vessel to join a rotational submarine force based in Australia beginning in late 2027, the Pentagon announced Monday.
– US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, and British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting announced the designation ahead of a submarine maintenance period scheduled to begin later this week, the Pentagon said.
– The maintenance activities are expected to demonstrate Australia’s growing ability to service US and British nuclear-powered attack submarines under the three countries’ AUKUS security partnership.
– Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) will operate from HMAS Stirling, a Royal Australian Navy base in Western Australia.
– The base is expected to host up to four US attack submarines and one British attack submarine on a rotational basis.
– The initiative is part of AUKUS Pillar I, which aims to help Australia acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
– The rotational force will allow Australia to develop the technical expertise, infrastructure and regulatory capabilities needed to operate and maintain its future submarine fleet.
– It will also expand regional maintenance capacity and support submarine deployments by the three partner countries.
– “The selection of USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first submarine assigned to SRF-West in 2027 marks a significant milestone for AUKUS Pillar I and is a decisive step in strengthening collective deterrence in the Pacific,” the Pentagon statement said.