The developing Stirling naval base in western Australia will become a staging area for US nuclear submarines if Washington enters an armed conflict with Beijing over the Taiwan issue, as well as a place of refuge “if something goes wrong”. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes about this and calls this facility the “insurance” of the United States.
According to WSJ, the US plans to deploy up to four submarines at this base in the coming years, the first one will arrive in 2027. This is part of the agreement under the UK-Australia-US defense alliance in the Pacific (AUKUS).
US submarines are based on Guam island, but in the event of a conflict, China can conduct a pre-emptive strike on this territory and disable military facilities, so a base in Australia will be an advantage for the US. In addition, in the event of a confrontation, US submarines will be able to block important sea trade routes with China, the newspaper noted.
Previously, US Deputy Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno said that China conducted a secret nuclear test in 2020. According to him, US authorities have information that the People's Republic of China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing explosives with a capacity of hundreds of tons equivalent to TNT.
