The sword points at Inta! The U.S. nuclear submarine will be stationed in Australia at the end of next year. Two major support units, AUKUS, are taking shape.

The US Navy's Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) has been designated as the first US submarine to join the Western Australia Submarine Garrison Force. It is expected to be stationed at Sterling Base in Western Australia starting from the end of 2027. This is an important development in the first pillar of the "Australia-UK-US Trilateral Security Partnership" (AUKUS). The three countries stated that this move will strengthen collective deterrence capabilities in the Pacific region and assist Australia in establishing the conditions needed to acquire and maintain nuclear-powered submarines.

The US military media "USNI News" reported that the defense chiefs of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement confirming that the Colorado will be incorporated into the Submarine Garrison Force-West (SRF-West). AUKUS was announced in 2021. The first pillar focuses on nuclear-powered submarine cooperation, with the goal of assisting Australia in acquiring Virginia-class attack submarines in the 2030s. According to current plans, SRF-West will eventually station up to four US military attack submarines and one British nuclear-powered attack submarine, not all of which will be permanently stationed in Australia.

In order to support the AUKUS rotation plan, the U.S. Navy established the Stirling Naval Support Activity Unit (Naval Support Activity Stirling) and Submarine Squadron 3 this year. The U.S. Navy's Pearl Harbor Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is also responsible for training Australian personnel to repair Virginia-class submarines and overseeing maintenance and logistics support at Stirling Base.

Before the Colorado began its rotation, U.S. and British submarines had been undergoing repairs locally. In 2024, the USS Hawaii underwent maintenance with the support of the submarine carrier USS Emory S. Land; in 2025, the USS Vermont arrived at Stirling Base and was repaired by Australian personnel without the support of the submarine carrier. The British Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine "HMS Anson" arrived locally in February 2026 and will be repaired by the Australian maintenance team.

Lieutenant General Rob Gaucher, director of the U.S. Navy's submarine program, said in June that through submarine rotation and a maintenance team composed mainly of Australian personnel, submarine combat readiness can be maintained in important areas, reducing the maintenance burden on the U.S. Navy shipyard, and allowing Australia to accumulate experience for future maintenance of its own nuclear-powered submarines.