The Pentagon said Monday it picked the USS Colorado (SSN-788) to be the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class attack submarine assigned to Submarine Rotation Force West (SRF-West), marking the next step in the AUKUS submarine process, starting in late 2027.
SRF-West aims to help Australia prepare to ultimately operate, maintain and support its own nuclear-powered and conventionally-armed SSNs. Australia will start by hosting a rotational presence of up to four U.S. SSNs and one United Kingdom Astute-class attack submarine located at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. This will expand the maintenance and sustainment infrastructure for AUKUS partners in the region.
“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,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Australian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Rochard Marles and U.K. Secretary of State for Defense West Streeting, said in a joint statement.
The deployment of the Colorado is the next early step under AUKUS Pillar I, leading into the U.S. selling three to five Virginia-class attack submarines to Australia in the 2030s. Later, Australia plans to ultimately build its own SSN-AUKUS boats in the 2040s while sharing a design with the U.K. Royal Navy.
This comes after the AUKUS defense ministers said in May that Australia’s 2030s submarine purchases would exclusively consist of used submarines rather than the previously planned mix of new and used boats.
The government officials said this comes ahead of an upcoming third U.S. submarine maintenance period later this week, when a U.S. Virginia-class submarine will perform maintenance at Stirling to further demonstrate the host country;s growing ability to sustain allied submarines.
Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily first published a version of this story.
