# Are US nuclear subs the right fit for Australia? > US defence secretary Pete Hegseth calls Virginia-class submarines the apex predator of the seas. But experts say they are built for American wars, not Australian defence. - Title: Are US nuclear subs the right fit for Australia? | Shortify - Summary: US defence secretary Pete Hegseth calls Virginia-class submarines the apex predator of the seas. But experts say they are built for American wars, not… - Keywords: aukus, australia, nuclear submarines, virginia-class, pete hegseth, richard marles, defence policy, andrew gaczol, rex patrick, news, politics, nuclear - Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/04/hegseth-apex-predator-nuclear-submarines-right-for-australia-aukus-ntwnfb - Published: 2026-10-03T19:00:08+00:00 - Read time: 4 min - Topics: aukus, australia, nuclear submarines, virginia-class, pete hegseth, richard marles, defence policy, andrew gaczol, rex patrick, news, politics ## Hegseth hails the apex predator US secretary of defense Pete Hegseth called the Virginia-class submarine a paragon of American engineering at Newport News shipyards. He called it the apex predator of the undersea domain, the most advanced and lethal submarine ever built. > It is the apex predator of the undersea domain, the most advanced and lethal submarine ever built. ## Australia's submarine deal Australia is set to buy three Virginia-class submarines secondhand from the US Navy, beginning in 2032, as part of the Aukus defence agreement with the United States and United Kingdom. ## What Virginia-class subs do well Virginia-class submarines are nuclear-powered attack submarines that can travel undetected fast and stay underwater for very long times, limited only by crew capacity. They are outstanding offensive platforms for hunting distant adversaries across thousands of miles of deep ocean. ## Australia's actual defence needs Australia's National Defence Strategy says the nation's strategy of denial aims to safeguard interests in the immediate region from the north-east Indian Ocean through maritime south-east Asia into the Pacific, including Australia's northern approaches. ## The waters where threats loom Waters to the north of Australia are shallow, best suited to smaller submarines than Virginia's nearly eight thousand tonnes of displacement. Naval experts argue a smaller, more nimble submarine quieter when operating under battery is better for this role. ## Smaller subs offer more firepower Smaller submarines are cheaper and easier to crew, meaning Australia could afford more of them, increasing the potency of its force. The argument runs that Virginias are suited to fighting distant wars for the US, but are the wrong boats to defend Australia. ## Gaczol's critique of Aukus Dr Andrew Gaczol, a former defence policy officer, told an independent inquiry that the Australian public had been given only two arguments for Aukus, and neither stood up to serious scrutiny. He said unlimited range submarines were unnecessary for defending Australia's waters. ## The trade route problem The second Aukus argument is maintaining open sea lanes around Australia. But with only three Virginia-class submarines, critics argue they cannot protect Australia's seaborne approaches. Gaczol said he could not see how such a small number would keep open all trade routes. ## The rule of threes Navies operate on the rule of threes: for every three complex platforms, only one can be relied upon to be operational at any given time. Australia's eight submarines by the two thousand forties would give it only two or three on active deployment at any time. ## Gaczol on power projection Gaczol says Australia's geography means invasion chances are virtually nil. The shallow oceans to Australia's north mean large nuclear submarines are more easily detected than smaller conventional boats. Nuclear submarines are about projecting power into another part of the world, not defending Australia. > To put it colloquially, that's not protecting our patch. That's going into someone else's patch and poking them in the eye. ## Gaczol's bottom line Gaczol believes Virginia-class submarines suit US imperatives, not Australia's. The only scenario he sees these boats applicable for is chasing Chinese submarines in the South China Sea, making Australia's force an adjunct of the US Navy. ## Rex Patrick's alternative Former South Australian senator Rex Patrick, an ex-submariner, says there is always a trade-off. If the cost of one large nuclear submarine equals four other submarines, that trade-off must be considered. For far less than Aukus, Australia could buy twenty conventionally powered air independent propulsion submarines. ## Patrick's force multiplier With twenty submarines, Patrick says Australia would have seven boats in the water in seven different locations, creating seven times the magnitude of problem for an adversary commander. Canada, with the longest coastline in the world, recently announced buying twelve air independent propulsion submarines from TKMS for thirty three billion dollars. ## Government's defence of Aukus The Australian government insists Aukus is the best deal on offer. Defence minister Richard Marles told the Shangri-La dialogue in June that Australia deliberately chose to increase naval spending, with more than forty percent of the defence budget now directed to the maritime domain. ## Marles on maritime necessity Marles said for a three-ocean nation, increased maritime spending is strategic necessity. Ninety-eight percent of Australia's traded goods pass through Australian ports and ninety percent of fuel is imported. The free and open passage of goods, energy and data across the seas is the region's economic lifeblood. ## The deterrence argument Former special envoy Luke Gosling wrote that nuclear submarines will give Australia a regionally superior capability to deter war and win if it must fight. Labor senator Raff Ciccone argued in June that nuclear submarines alone have the speed, endurance and stealth to deter threats to maritime supply chains. > They are the bolt cutters that will ensure that we are never wrapped in chains. ## Key takeaway Australia is buying three secondhand US Virginia-class nuclear submarines starting in 2032, but naval experts argue they are designed for distant offensive operations rather than defending Australia's shallow northern waters.