US, UK, Australia defense chiefs press after AUKUS subs deal meeting

US Secretary of Defense held a press conference with his British and Australian counterparts in California on Friday to discuss cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines and other advanced technologies.

Australia will buy at least three nuclear-powered Virginia-class submarines during the 2030s under the tripartite agreement known as AUKUS, after which Canberra and London will build a new model involving US technology.

Australia had previously been on track to replace its aging fleet of diesel-powered submarines with a $66 billion package of French vessels, also conventionally powered.