Australia will receive three in-service Virginia-class submarines under a revised AUKUS plan, a shift Richard Marles announced in Singapore on Sunday that changes how Canberra plans to get its nuclear-powered fleet. The new approach drops the idea of a mixed buy of new and used Virginia-class boats and instead moves to second-hand vessels only.
Marles, speaking alongside his US and UK counterparts, said the change would streamline delivery, simplify supply chains and maintenance, and maximise cost efficiencies. He framed the submarines as part of a wider contest below the waves, saying the seabed is a battlefield, and tied the first phase of AUKUS to second-phase underwater drones designed to protect infrastructure such as internet cables.
The announcement lands at a time when the pact is already under pressure from Washington’s sharper demands on allies. AUKUS is the military deal linking Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, and the revised plan keeps the focus on pillar one even as pillar two gains more attention through systems meant to guard undersea assets. For Canberra, the promise is simpler acquisition; for industry, it points to a cleaner path through supply, maintenance and costs.
That shift comes with a hard edge from the US side. Pete Hegseth told SBS News the United States is “grateful” for Australian support and said Canberra had stepped up when called on, but he also warned that the era of American subsidising of wealthy nations is over. He said Washington wants partners, not protectorates, and that allies who refuse to carry more of the burden will face a clear change in how the United States does business.
The friction is not abstract. Donald Trump said last month he was not happy with Australia over its perceived failure to come to the United States’ aid in opening the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington has repeatedly pressed allies to raise defence spending to at least 3.5 per cent. That makes Marles’ announcement more than a procurement update; it is part of a broader test of how much responsibility Australia is willing to shoulder inside the alliance.
What remains unanswered is the one detail that matters most to a navy waiting on its future: when those three submarines will actually arrive. Marles gave no delivery date, leaving the revised AUKUS plan clearer on structure than on timing.
