UK lawmaker report warns AUKUS under threat from ‘shortcomings and failings’  - Breaking Defense

Concept art of a SSN AUKUS (BAE Systems)

BELFAST — The trilateral AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program is suffering from “shortcomings and failings” that threaten its development, according to a report from UK defense committee lawmakers published today.

“Timely investment in upgrading the BAE Systems shipyard at Barrow [England] where SSN-AUKUS will be built will be crucial,” the report stresses. “This has already slipped: any further failures could lead to delay in delivering SSN-AUKUS with serious consequences both for UK national security and for credibility with AUKUS partners.”

Partner nations under AUKUS Pillar 1 are committed to the supply of three to five US-made Virginia-class submarines to Australia ahead of building future SSN-AUKUS vessels for both the UK and Australia.

The limitations and faults linked to delivery of the high profile naval effort are endangering its “promise becoming a reality,” warns the document, which also claims that local political leadership under British Prime Minister Kier Starmer “has faded.”