Australian Navy Officers Successfully Complete Nuclear Power Training

Royal Australian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Adam Klyne (left), Lt. William Hall (middle), and Lt. Cmdr. James Heydon (right)Photo byAir Force

Earlier this week, the first group of Royal Australian Navy officers to pass through the United States Navy's nuclear power pipeline reached a new milestone with their graduation from the Nuclear Power Training Unit, or NPTU.

Under the auspices of the trilateral AUKUS agreement—which encompasses the US, Australia, and the UK—the graduation ceremony took place on January 12th, marking the most recent milestone in Australia's ambitions to manage its own attack submarine fleet that is conventionally armed and nuclear-powered.

Commencing their education at the training unit in July, Australian navy officers Lt. Cmdr. James Heydon, Lt. Cmdr. Adam Klyne, and Lt. William Hall graduated from the Navy's Nuclear Power School.

In a statement released by the Navy, Klyne expressed his excitement about applying the knowledge gained at power school during prototype training. "We gained the practical experience we need to safely operate the Royal Australian Navy's future SSNs while experiencing the exhilaration and humility of operating a nuclear reactor."

NPTU teaches both military personnel and citizens the ins and outs of nuclear fleet operation and maintenance.

The three men, Heydon, Klyne, and Hall, will reportedly undergo the same underwater training as their American counterparts at the Navy's submarine officer basic course in Groton, Connecticut.

They will then be required to report to a sub in the Virginia class so that they can continue their training and credentials.

The AUKUS deal, which was announced in 2021, aims to develop a Western Pacific ally with nuclear capabilities.

Western Australia's HMAS Stirling station has been seeing an uptick in U.S. submarine visits recently, and authorities have expressed their desire to establish a sub maintenance base there in the future.

As early as 2027, the two nations intend for American and British submarines to start longer rotations through Australia, enhancing the locals' expertise in submarine repair and maintenance.

The Navy announced in a press release that plans to sell three Virginia Class SSNs to Australia, subject to congressional permission. The sale is expected to begin in the early 2030s, and there is a possibility of selling up to two more hulls if necessary. "By constructing its fleet of the SSN-AUKUS, a nuclear-powered attack submarine designed by the United Kingdom and built in both Australia and the United Kingdom, these efforts will ensure that Australia's submarine capabilities are maintained."

Assuming everything goes according to plan, Australia will have its very own nuclear submarine by the early 2040s.

Edited by Newsbreak Contributor Denys Shybinskiy