$8 BILLION PLAN TO BRING AMERICAN SUBMARINES AND SAILORS TO PERTH: ‘Unprecedented’ Operation to Embed US Military Personnel and Hardware in WA Community
- Up to 1,200 US and UK personnel and their families will be posted to Perth as part of the AUKUS agreement
- The $8 billion operation will involve the rotation of up to five nuclear-powered submarines through HMAS Stirling from 2027
- Defence officials are negotiating quarantine arrangements for US submariners’ dogs and work rights for American spouses
- Critics warn the presence of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines will make Perth a target for adversaries
The US military is set to establish a significant presence in Western Australia as part of the AUKUS agreement, with up to 1,200 personnel and their families to be posted to Perth. The $8 billion operation, dubbed Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West), will involve the rotation of up to five nuclear-powered submarines through HMAS Stirling from 2027.
Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, chief of the Australian Submarine Agency, said planning was well underway for the operation, which would see US and UK personnel embedded in the WA community. “We’re getting right down into the hairs of the dog,” he said, revealing that officials were currently negotiating quarantine arrangements for US submariners’ dogs.
The SRF-West initiative is the first tangible piece in the giant AUKUS puzzle, which will involve the purchase of Virginia-class submarines from the US and the construction of Australian-made nuclear-powered subs. But critics, including former Labor senator Doug Cameron and Greens Senator David Shoebridge, have raised concerns about the deeply intertwined military relationship and the potential risks to Australian sovereignty.
Defence officials have dismissed these concerns, with Vice Admiral Mead insisting that HMAS Stirling would remain an Australian-owned and operated base. However, the presence of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines is expected to raise sensitivities in the local community, with some warning that Perth could become a target for adversaries.
The operation is part of a broader build-up of the US military presence in Australia, which has included the upgrade of the runway at RAAF Base Tindal and the construction of a huge military fuel reserve at Darwin Harbour. The Australian government and defence establishment are confident that the AUKUS agreement will hold, despite the Trump administration’s America-first rhetoric and the Pentagon’s ongoing review.
As the operation gets underway, locals are being reassured that the US presence will be a “permanent presence” at HMAS Stirling, with personnel and their families set to become part of the community. But as the deadline for the first US and UK submarines to arrive in 2027 draws near, concerns about the implications of the AUKUS agreement continue to simmer.