AUKUS: USS Colorado to be first U.S. nuclear submarine based in Australia
The Virginia-class submarine is due at HMAS Stirling in late 2027. The rotational force will host up to four American and one British submarine.
Archive image · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffrey M. Richardson / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
The Pentagon has designated USS Colorado as the first U.S. nuclear-powered submarine for the new Submarine Rotational Force–West in Western Australia. The Virginia-class boat, commissioned in 2018, is due to arrive at HMAS Stirling near Perth in late 2027. The force will host up to four American and one British submarine, which are nuclear-powered but conventionally armed.
In a joint statement, defense ministers Pete Hegseth of the United States, Richard Marles of Australia and Wes Streeting of Britain called the selection "a significant milestone for AUKUS Pillar I and a decisive step in strengthening collective deterrence in the Pacific." The rotation is meant to help Australia build experience operating and maintaining its own nuclear submarines. More than 200 Royal Australian Navy personnel are already training or serving in the United States.