Congressman suggests sending jointly operated US submarine to Australia as AUKUS announcement looms
ABCA senior member of the US Congress has called for a dual-crewed American submarine to be based in Australia as part of an interim measure under the AUKUS agreement. Key points: The Australian government will soon announce which nuclear submarines it plans to acquire Congressman Rob Wittman says the US should send a nuclear-powered submarine to Australia to help ease a looming capability gap The idea of a mixed US and Australian crew raises "a lot of questions", says Congressman Joe Courtney Republican Rob Wittman also argued Australian shipbuilders and sailors should be sent to the US for months at a time to prepare them for the eventual acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet. It was prompted by leaked correspondence from two influential senators, warning the provision of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia could push the US submarine industrial base to "breaking point". Representative Wittman, who was the most senior Republican on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the last congress, said the idea of a direct sale of US submarines was "probably an oversimplification". Congressman accuses China of trying to 'bully' Australia through AUKUS criticism Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announces the AUKUS deal with former UK prime minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden.