Australia to Invest 85 Billion Baht in Nuclear Submarine Shipyard Construction

On February 14, Reuters reported that the Australian government will invest 3,900 million Australian dollars to expedite shipyard construction to deliver nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security alliance established in 2021. This represents Australia's largest-ever defense investment, which will see US Navy Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines deployed in Australia by 2570. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the investment as a down payment for a new shipyard in Osborne, a suburb of Adelaide in South Australia. The total construction cost is projected to reach 30,000 million Australian dollars over the coming decades, with the UK and Australia planning to jointly develop new nuclear-powered submarines.