II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4718 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a joint training pipeline 

between the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 2, 2022 

Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. COTTON) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a joint training pipeline between the United States Navy and the 

Royal Australian Navy, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Australia-United 

5 States Submarine Officer Pipeline Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT TRAINING PIPELINE BE2 TWEEN UNITED STATES NAVY AND ROYAL 

3 AUSTRALIAN NAVY. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) the AUKUS partnership between Australia, 

7 the United Kingdom, and the United States presents 

8 a significant opportunity to enhance security co9 operation in the Indo-Pacific region; 

10 (2) parties to the AUKUS partnership should 

11 work expeditiously to implement a strategic roadmap 

12 to successfully deliver capabilities outlined in the 

13 agreement; 

14 (3) the United States should engage with indus15 try partners to develop a comprehensive under16 standing of the requirements needed to increase ca17 pacity and capability; 

18 (4) Australia should continue to expand its in19 dustrial base to support production and delivery of 

20 future capabilities; 

21 (5) the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine 

22 to the Government of Australia would require the 

23 appropriate training and development of future com24 manding officers to operate such submarines for the 

25 Royal Australian Navy; and 


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1 (6) in order to uphold the stewardship of the 

2 Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the Secretary of 

3 Defense should work to coordinate an exchange pro4 gram to integrate and train Australian sailors for 

5 the operation and maintenance of nuclear-powered 

6 submarines. 

7 (b) EXCHANGE PROGRAM.—The Secretary of De8 fense, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall 

9 carry out an exchange program for Australian submarine 

10 officers during 2023 and each subsequent year. Under the 

11 program, each year, two Australian submarine officers 

12 shall be selected to participate in the program. Each such 

13 participant shall— 

14 (1) receive training in the Navy Nuclear Pro15 pulsion School; 

16 (2) following such training and by not later 

17 than July 1 of the year of participation, enroll in the 

18 Submarine Office Basic Course; and 

19 (3) following completion of such course, be as20 signed to duty on an operational United States sub21 marine at sea. 

22 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 

24 shall submit to the congressional defense committees (as 

25 defined in section 101 of title 10, United States Code) 


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1 a report on a notional exchange program for Australian 

2 submarine officers that includes initial, follow-on, and re3 curring training that could be provided to Australian sub4 marine officers in order to prepare such officers for com5 mand of nuclear-powered Australian submarines. 

Æ 


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