Diyar Guldogan
26 October 2026•Update: 26 October 2026
The US has designated the USS Colorado, a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, as the first American vessel to join a rotational submarine force based in Australia beginning in late 2027, the Pentagon announced Monday.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, and British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting announced the designation ahead of a submarine maintenance period scheduled to begin later this week, the Pentagon said.
The maintenance activities are expected to demonstrate Australia's growing ability to service US and British nuclear-powered attack submarines under the three countries' AUKUS security partnership.
Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) will operate from HMAS Stirling, a Royal Australian Navy base in Western Australia.
The base is expected to host up to four US attack submarines and one British attack submarine on a rotational basis.
The initiative is part of AUKUS Pillar I, which aims to help Australia acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
The rotational force will allow Australia to develop the technical expertise, infrastructure and regulatory capabilities needed to operate and maintain its future submarine fleet.
It will also expand regional maintenance capacity and support submarine deployments by the three partner countries.
"The selection of USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first submarine assigned to SRF-West in 2027 marks a significant milestone for AUKUS Pillar I and is a decisive step in strengthening collective deterrence in the Pacific," the Pentagon statement said.
