U.S. Navy Trains Australian Divers to Sustain Virginia-Class Submarines Under AUKUS Program

Eight Royal Australian Navy clearance divers have completed five months of Virginia-class submarine maintenance training at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. The course covered ballast-tank component replacement, torpedo-tube inspection, fly-by-wire checks, rigging, radiological safety and certification to U.S. standards. They are the first Australian divers qualified for this work, supporting plans to sustain visiting American and British submarines at HMAS Stirling under AUKUS. Submarine Rotational Force-West is expected from as early as 2027, initially enabling selected underwater and intermediate maintenance rather than independent Australian overhauls of nuclear-powered boats.