"In the early 2030s, the delivery of three Virginia class subs from the United States to Australia over the course of the 2030s with the possibility of going up to five if that is needed," Sullivan said during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One.
Sullivan added that the leaders of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom will announce later today the multi-phase process for preparing to deploy new US-made nuclear-powered submarines to Australia in the coming years.
"The leaders will lay out in a trilateral meeting today and then for the public is a multi-phase process that begins over the next few years and begins immediately with the training of Australian sailors, engineers, technicians, and other personnel to be able to take on the responsibility and stewardship of nuclear propulsion," Sullivan said.
The final phase of the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) trilateral security pact will see the deployment of new conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, Sullivan highlighted.
"The final phase will be the not just design and development but the actual deployment of a new boat, a new conventionally armed nuclear powered submarine," he told journalists.