More than 480 submarines from more than 40 nations currently operate in the oceans of the world, according to a 2025 count by the international data aggregator World Population Review.
The squadron will support Submarine Rotational Force-West, under which U.S. and British fast-attack submarines will begin rotations to HMAS Stirling near Perth in 2027, the Navy said in a news release.
The Navy is finalizing the Environmental Assessment for upgrading facilities at the ballistic-missile submarine base at Bangor at the northern end of the 20,000-acre Kitsap base.
The additional time will allow for supplemental construction work to strengthen the facility against earthquakes which will be carried out under the current $377.7 million contract.
U.S. military personnel will begin rotating to Western Australia ahead of the planned deployment of American and British nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS security partnership, defense leaders said.
A recent study proposes ways to grow the number of missile-carrying Navy ships to improve the service’s ability to help defeat Chinese forces in a potential confrontation over Taiwan.
The budget request includes $377.5 billion for 34 new ships and five unmanned ships, with plans to add 122 manned and 63 unmanned ships over the next five years.
The submarine arrived for a port visit to Gibraltar on Sunday. The Navy did not identify the submarine involved, but several ship watchers said it was USS Alaska.
