Arabic version: كونروي يحدد 2032 موعداً لانتهاء تناوب الغواصات الأميركية

According to ABC News, Defence Industries Minister Pat Conroy says 2032 will mark the end of US Virginia-class submarines rotating through HMAS Stirling in Western Australia under Submarine Rotation Force West.

Conroy said the arrangement is a five-year commitment beginning in 2027. He said the rotational presence would end as Australia acquires its own nuclear-powered submarines, which would move into HMAS Stirling.

Speaking while in Washington, DC, for AUKUS talks with senior Pentagon officials, Conroy rejected claims that Stirling would become a de facto US base. He said the submarines would be at the base only for limited periods each year, while declining to disclose how long those periods would be.

Military analyst and former Royal Australian Navy warfare officer Jennifer Parker said she was surprised that an end date for SRF-West had been stated so clearly. She said she thought US submarines were likely to continue rotating from Stirling after 2032.

The Australian Submarine Agency said it expected US and UK navies to use HMAS Stirling after 2032, noting that their nuclear-powered submarines had visited the base for decades. Conroy said future access would be determined by the government of the day and that nothing being done pre-committed Australia to a future conflict.