Australia faces an uphill battle to recruit and train enough naval personnel to serve on submarines planned for the future fleet of nuclear-powered vessels under the controversial $368bn Aukus deal, a retired admiral has warned.
asserted
admiral → face → deal
As the Virginia-class submarine USS Colorado arrived at HMAS Stirling south of Perth on Tuesday for a month of routine maintenance and to help build Australian expertise, retired admiral Peter Briggs said more people needed to be enrolled in the navy’s submarine program.
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people → arrive → program
As part of a $368bn trilateral defence deal, Australia will acquire between three and five Virginia-class, nuclear-powered submarines from the United States to replace its five diesel-electric Collins-class vessels, which are becoming obsolete.
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which → acquire → vessels
The new submarines are much bigger and require up to 134 crew – almost three times the number needed for the Collins class.
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submarines → require → class
The Royal Australian Navy says it has 230 personnel in various stage of the US nuclear-powered submarine training pipeline.
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it → say → pipeline
“Of these, approximately 145 have completed US Naval nuclear power training and are now building experience training on US Navy SSNs [a hull classification for nuclear-powered submarines],” a navy spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → complete → submarines
“By 2030, we expect to have 400 Royal Australian Navy officers and sailors trained and ready to serve.
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officers → expect → 2030
But Briggs urged a more intensive recruitment plan to crew the bigger boats.
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Briggs → urge → boats
“We have got to triple the size of the submarine arm and we’ve got to train them in nuclear skills,” he said.
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he → get → skills
“You are heading toward needing a submarine arm of 3,000, that’s the hill you have to climb.”
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you → head → 3,000
Approximately 850 submariners are qualified to operate Collins-class vessels.
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submariners → qualify → vessels
The Virginia-class boats are intended to bridge the transition from the Collins-class fleet to the future SSN-AUKUS submarine, an even bigger design being developed by Australia and the UK.
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boats → intend → Australia
“The personnel side is a huge issue, but it’s not the only one,” Briggs said.
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Briggs → ’ → ?
The former submariner argued that maintaining two different submarine types would add complexity to training, logistics, maintenance and spare-parts arrangements.
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maintaining → argue → training
The Australian government did not respond to questions about recruitment targets and whether a workforce development program was on track.
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program → respond → track
Recruitment is further complicated by the need for more than a dozen different trades, from radio and sonar operators to cooks and electricians.
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Recruitment → complicate → cooks
After spending the next month is Perth, the USS Colorado will return to the city’s waters again in late 2027 as part of the Submarine Rotational Force-West program which is designed to help Australia build the skills and infrastructure to operate its own nuclear fleet.
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Australia → spend → fleet
From 2027, the program will see up to four US and one UK nuclear-powered submarine rotate through HMAS Stirling.
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submarine → see → Stirling
Paul Johnson, HMAS Stirling fleet base west commodore, said the USS Colorado maintenance period would be used to “practise and test our procedures across a range of nuclear-related operational scenarios”.
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period → say → scenarios
Officials stressed that no radiological material would be transferred during the maintenance period and that nuclear-related exercises would be simulated.
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exercises → stress → period
Late last year, Senate estimates heard that US submarines carrying nuclear weapons could rotate through Australian ports despite a non-proliferation commitment.
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submarines → hear → commitment
USS Colorado captain, Justin Reeves, said the US government would not “confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons on specific platforms”.
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government → say → platforms
Colorado was built in 2018 and arrived this week carrying conventional weapons, including four torpedoes and four “payload tubes” that can be used to house and launch weapons.
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that → build → weapons
It took two weeks to travel to Perth from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii with 160 men and no women aboard.
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It → take → men
A sign labelled “Berth Rules”, taped to the wall near the submarine’s entryway, listed “Don’t be stinky” as the crew’s top priority once they reach port.
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they → label → port
The demands of living and working in confined spaces for extended periods presents another recruitment challenge for officials.
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demands → live → officials
Sleeping arrangements can involve bunks stacked three high, while “hot racking” allows three sailors to share two beds by rotating their sleeping schedules around watch duties.
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sailors → sleep → duties
In some circumstances, and when accommodation is limited, sailors may sleep in torpedo rooms.
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sailors → limit → rooms
Reeves said the vessel is “built for combat, not for comfort”.
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vessel → say → comfort
Nuclear submarines don’t need to refuel, meaning their range is effectively infinite.
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range → need → ?
“The limits of its endurance are really food and toilet paper, and that’s several months’ worth,” Reeves said.
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Reeves → ’ → endurance
“Being nuclear powered is a massive advantage.”
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Being → power → ?
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