In another significant milestone for the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) enhanced trilateral security partnership, the first seven Royal Australian Navy (RAN) enlisted sailors graduated the United States Navy Nuclear Power School.
The seven sailors, alongside a third group of RAN officers who also graduated, are the pioneers towards Australia establishing a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) fleet in the early 2030s.
Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, AO, RAN acknowledged the rigorous training the sailors completed at the school.
“Naval Nuclear Power training is exceptionally rigorous and to have seven Australian sailors and five officers complete the program and move on to Nuclear Power Training Unit takes us closer to operating our own SSNs,” Vice Admiral Hammond said.
The seven enlisted RAN sailors trained at the Nuclear Power School from October 2023, and have been learning the science and engineering principles that are fundamental to the design, operation, and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants alongside American and British submariners.
The graduates will start this month at the United States Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, which trains officers, enlisted sailors, and civilians for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of surface ships and submarines in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet.
Director-General Australian Submarine Agency, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead AO, RAN acknowledged the significant milestones of AUKUS this year.
“Thirty-seven months after AUKUS’ inception, we are well on our way to developing Australia’s SSN capability,” Vice Admiral Mead said.
“Last month, Australian sailors conducted the first maintenance period on an SSN in Australia. Today we graduate the first enlisted personnel from an exceptionally rigorous school; already we have Australian officers serving aboard both U.S. and UK SSNs.”
RAN personnel are in various stages of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine training pipeline to equip them with skills and experience aboard the U.S. Virginia Class SSNs.
The assignment of RAN sailors to U.S. submarines is a fundamental step towards developing the skills needed to crew the Virginia-class submarines that Australia will own and operate from the early 2030s.
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