The head of AUKUS has conceded in an exclusive interview with Sky News Australia Senior Political Reporter Trudy McIntosh only about one third of Australia's new nuclear-powered submarine fleet will be at sea at any one time.
Addressing stinging criticism of the subs deal from former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, Vice Admiral Mead told Senior Political Reporter Trudy McIntosh"all major capabilities" required maintenance which would prevent them from constant deployment.
Asked by Ms McIntosh whether that meant all eight SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines could be used at once, Vice Admiral Mead conceded they could not. The head of the AUKUS taskforce also revealed for the first time the forward rotation of United States and United Kingdom submarines in Western Australia will not be indefinite.
He also rebuffed claims that the SSN-AUKUS class will be out of date by the time it hits the water in the 2040s.
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