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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Ben Doherty

Australia won’t receive Aukus nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns

A Virginia-class submarine in the Atlantic Ocean
US Admiral Daryl Caudle has lauded Australian sailors as ‘incredible submariners’, but says the US will not be able to deliver boats promised under Aukus without a ‘100% improvement’ on shipbuilding rates. Photograph: Ashley Cowan/US Navy

The US cannot sell any Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia without doubling its production rate, because it is making too few for its own defence, the navy’s nominee for chief of operations has told Congress.

There are “no magic beans” to boosting the US’s sclerotic shipbuilding capacity, Admiral Daryl Caudle said in frank evidence before a Senate committee.

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