Enduring relationship: Prince William marks Submarine Service and Australian navy milestones
The Prince of Wales, Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service, has marked the service's 125th anniversary, as the Royal Australian Navy also celebrates its own 125-year milestone.
It comes as HMS Anson visits Australia as part of the latest phase of the Aukus partnership (Australia, the UK, and the US), which aims to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
"Today, we remember the generations of service personnel who served in support of the United Kingdom, Australia, and our commonwealth partners in both World Wars, and in the decades since," Prince William said in a post on X.
Remembering a generation
The prince has served as Commodore-in-Chief, Submarines, since 2006. He has previously visited the attack submarine HMS Artful at sea in 2016, where he presented dolphins badges to newly qualified submariners and conducted his first submarine dive.
The prince has also presented deterrent pins to submariners at HM Naval Base Clyde and attended a service at Westminster Abbey in 2020, which marked 50 years of the Continuous at Sea Deterrent.
In his post on X, he noted that through the Aukus programme, "our two countries will continue to work together to protect our shared values, peace and security," and that it is a testament to an "enduring relationship".
He added he was proud that the British and Australian submarine sailors were celebrating their anniversary together.
What is Aukus?
In what was seen as a response to China's influence, a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US – known as Aukus – was formed in 2021.
Aligned with the Quad's vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, the agreement, worth £176bn over 30 years, involved two so-called pillars.
Pillar one involves the supply and delivery of nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.
Australia is set to acquire three second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the US in early 2030, with the option to add two more to its fleet.
The plan is then to design a new nuclear-powered submarine model for both the UK and Australian navies under a 50-year-long deal called the Geelong Treaty.
The SNN-Aukus will be the largest, most advanced and most powerful submarine ever operated by the Royal Navy.
It is set to enter UK service in the 2030s, replacing the Astute-class submarines, and will join the Royal Australian Navy in the 2040s, succeeding the Collins-class.
From 2027, the pact will allow a small contingent of US and UK nuclear submarines to be based in Perth in Western Australia, helping to bolster regional stability.
Pillar two involves the allies collaborating on their advanced capabilities like AI, cyberwarfare and long-range hypersonic missiles.
While China was never mentioned in the announcement of the pact, it is widely considered to be a response to Beijing's growing influence and the threat it poses in the Indo-Pacific.
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