Beyond the resentment it generated in France, after the cancellation of the SEA 1000 contract, the SSN AUKUS program, at the heart of the first pillar of the AUKUS alliance which brings together Australia, Great Britain and the United States, has been the subject of many questions, particularly in Australia and the United States, since its launch.
This is particularly the case within the US Congress, where several influential members of the Senate and House Defense Committees have expressed doubts about the sustainability or effectiveness of this program, particularly in the current period of tension.
It is in this context that the Congressional Research Service, one of the two independent audit and validation bodies of the American Congress, has just published a report that is, to say the least, critical of this SSN-AUKUS program, its terms, and the way in which it was negotiated, announced and then validated.
The SSN AUKUS program is increasingly being questioned, due to its costs and planning.
Since its initial announcement in 2021 by Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison, the SSN AUKUS program, which is to equip the Royal Australian Navy with eight nuclear attack submarines, or SSNs, has raised many questions from American parliamentarians.
Thus, in 2023, two reports from independent bodies linked to Congress, had asked several questions, which remained unanswered, on the SSN AUKUS program, its sustainability and its Genesis. The first, produced by the Congress Budget Office, or CBO, concerned the sustainability of the US Navy’s industrial plan for the coming years, and in particular the costs, and additional costs, generated by the production of the 3 to 5 additional Virginia-class SSNs to replace as many ships sold to Australia.
The second report, this time by the Congressional Research Service, or CRS, questioned the US Navy’s commitment to increase SSN production to 2,33 ships per year by 2030, the threshold set by Congress to allow for the sale of the US Virginia SSNs to Australia from 2032 to 2036.
Despite these challenges from independent bodies of Congress, the SSN AUKUS program has continued on the same trajectory as initially announced, with the executives of the three countries concerned having once again committed to giving it substance, according to the promised timetable.
Congressional Research Service Releases Vicious Report on AUKUS SSN Program
A year later, it is once again the CRS which is going on the offensive in this matter, with the publication of a new update of its summary document on the production of Virginia class SSNs, on the first pillar of the AUKUS alliance, and on the SSN AUKUS program.
META DEFENSE
