By Kirsty Needham
(Reuters) – “The role of the fast attack submarine is so dynamic that everything changes on a dime,” U.S. Navy Commander Jeffrey Corneille said off the coast of Western Australia on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Minnesota in March.
“As soon as my boss says go, we go,” said Corneille, the ship’s commander.
A 2018 letter from the U.S. secretary of defence hangs on a wall in the Minnesota, expressing gratitude for its anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering in Europe.
Giving pause for thought to an adversary is “not just important for the United States, it’s important for all of our partners to work together to get to that”, Corneille said.
The submarine recently moved its home port from Hawaii to Guam, the first forward deployment of a Virginia-class submarine.
“In time of conflict, that is where we replenish, repair and rearm,” said Captain Neil Steinhagen, Commander of Guam’s Submarine Squadron 15, which includes four Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack subs alongside the Minnesota.
A port call at HMAS Stirling is preparation for hundreds of U.S. Navy personnel arriving in 2027, and Australians joining the crew of U.S.-commanded Virginia submarines.
The Virginia’s “34-year gas tank” gives it the speed to run down its adversary, said Steinhagen, describing the difference between nuclear propulsion and Australia’s ageing diesel-electric submarine fleet, which lurk and listen in Indo Pacific chokepoints.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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