Australia must recruit hundreds more to crew Aukus submarines, retired admiral warns

As USS Colorado showcases the program in Perth, Peter Briggs says personnel is just one of the ‘huge issues’ it faces

Australia faces an uphill battle to recruit and train enough naval personnel to serve on submarines planned for the future fleet of nuclear-powered vessels under the controversial $368bn Aukus deal, a retired admiral has warned.

As the Virginia-class submarine USS Colorado arrived at HMAS Stirling south of Perth on Tuesday for a month of routine maintenance and to help build Australian expertise, retired admiral Peter Briggs said more people needed to be enrolled in the navy’s submarine program.

As part of a $368bn trilateral defence deal, Australia will acquire between three and five Virginia-class, nuclear-powered submarines from the United States to replace its five diesel-electric Collins-class vessels, which are…