AUKUS Ministers Commit to 2027 Sub Base

AUKUS defense chiefs set a hard date on Saturday for the pact’s most tangible promise. The year is 2027, and the milestone is standing up Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. It’s the rotational nuclear-submarine presence that will test whether the trilateral deal delivers steel in the water or stays a partnership on paper.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey met in Singapore and announced they had finalized the AUKUS arrangements. Authorized U.S. Navy support elements will begin rotating the first American