A$3.9bn

Australia has pledged an initial 3.9 billion Australian dollars toward construction of a nuclear submarine shipyard at Osborne in South Australia, marking the largest single funding commitment yet made to the AUKUS defence pact and signaling that the trilateral program is accelerating despite ongoing questions about delivery timelines and American commitment.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the investment as a down payment on a project the government estimates will ultimately cost 30 billion Australian dollars to complete over coming decades. The Osborne facility, located on the Lefevre Peninsula approximately 19 kilometers north of Adelaide, will become the site where Australia …