Defence Minister Peter Dutton has ruled out a “third-class of submarine” following concerns that Australia could be short-handed and face a military capability gap before the arrival of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement by 2040.
Dutton, of the governing centre-right Coalition, made the comments during the Defence Debate with shadow defence spokesperson Brendan O’Connor at the National Press Club in Canberra.
“We don’t want a third class of submarines,” he told reporters on May 5. “I know that some commentators continue to write this (but) the clearest advice I had in relation to our discussions about whether we should go with the nuclear submarines came from the Chief of the Defence Force, the Chief of Navy, and the Vice Chief of the Defence Force to not go with the third platform.”
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