Let’s not pretend that new – or old – submarines are what AUKUS is really about

June 7, 2026 — 5:00am

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Does it matter that Australia will now acquire three used nuclear-powered submarines instead of one new and two used boats? Not really. That’s because the real goal of the AUKUS project is to demonstrate Australia’s contribution to upholding US dominance of our region. And Australia can do that with second-hand boats, or no boats at all.

But there’s a deeper reason why the government keeps pouring Australian dollars into US shipyards. It is to lock in a structural, long-term commitment of the United States to Australia.

Under the original AUKUS plan, Australia would buy at least two second-hand Virginia-class boats and one new and improved Block VII Virginia-class boat in the 2030s. But last weekend, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that all three boats would be second-hand Block IV submarines, each possibly more than a decade old, compared with the 33-year lifespan of a new boat. The news has triggered debates about whether Australia is getting dudded – akin to forfeiting a deposit on a new French-made Renault because we were promised a brand-new Tesla, but receiving an old-model Tesla with 200,000 kilometres on the........

© Brisbane Times