Two U.S. Senators have raised major concerns over the trilateral AUKUS deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, saying that the supply of U.S. nuclear-powered submarines (SSN) to Australia could weaken America’s submarine fleet.
In a letter sent to the Biden Administration on Dec. 21, 2022, Senators’ Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and James Inhofe (R-Okla.) warned that the AUKUS deal would leave the U.S. Navy without sufficient submarines, while taking decades to supply the Australian fleet, reported Breaking Defense.
“We urge you to adopt a ‘do no harm’ approach to AUKUS negotiations and ensure that sovereign U.S. national security capabilities will not be diminished as we work to build this strategic partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom over the coming decades,” the senators wrote to U.S. President Joe Biden, reported Breaking Defense….