Australia will be left with no submarines if it abandons Aukus, senior defence official warns
Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive
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Australia will be left with no submarines if it abandons the Aukus deal with the US and UK, a senior defence official has warned, declining to publicly countenance an alternative plan if Australia’s promised nuclear-powered fleet does not arrive under Australian command.
“Defence has been directed to pursue Aukus and we are pursuing Aukus and that’s our plan. I would not venture into the space about ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’,” defence department deputy secretary, Hugh Jeffrey, told a Sovereignty and Security Forum in Canberra on Friday.
Source: Theguardian.com
Original source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/27/australia-will-be-left-with-no-submarines-if-it-abandons-aukus-senior-defence-official-warns
