United States Revives Submarine Squadron Disbanded 14 Years Ago, Relocates It to Australia

The US Navy Pacific Fleet has reactivated the 3rd CSS-3 submarine squadron, which was disbanded 14 years ago, and relocated it from Hawaii to Australia.

The fleet’s press service announced this.

The squadron was previously based in Pearl Harbor and was disbanded in February 2012. The new CSS-3 headquarters will be located at HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia.

The relocation of the squadron is being carried out under the trilateral AUKUS partnership between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

CSS-3 personnel will work with Royal Australian Navy personnel to provide maintenance, logistics, and operational support for US and UK submarines rotating through HMAS Stirling.

The re-establishment of CSS-3 is an important milestone in the formation of SRF-West, a key element of the first phase of AUKUS cooperation. According to plans, US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines will begin rotating through HMAS Stirling from 2027.

The re-establishment of the squadron follows the establishment of Naval Support Base NSA Stirling by US Naval Regional Command Japan. It will provide administrative and personnel support for US military personnel, civilian staff, contractors and their families involved in the SRF-West program.

In addition, the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) will establish a dedicated maintenance and logistics unit in Western Australia in mid-2026.

The newly formed unit will be responsible for conducting and overseeing intermediate-level maintenance of US submarines assigned to SRF-West, and will also train Australian personnel to work on nuclear submarines.

In late May, it was announced that within a revised agreement to “optimize” the AUKUS partnership, Australia will receive only used nuclear-powered submarines from the United States.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles called the decision “economically beneficial”. Under the AUKUS agreement signed in 2021, Australia is set to receive at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the United States over the next 15 years.

Canberra had initially expected to receive two used submarines and one new boat. However, the parties agreed that all three submarines will come from the existing US Navy fleet.