
The Australian government on Sunday committed to providing $8 billion to deliver a shipbuilder project in Western Australia that will ultimately enable maintaining and building conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) under the AUKUS deal with the U.S. and U.K. It specifically called this $8 billion investment a "significant down payment” to bolster the Henderson Defense Precinct’s shipbuilding capabilities. The precinct is in Western Australia. The Defense Ministry noted early independent planning and advice indicated the precinct requires upward of $16.7 billion…