Complex sentence: By the end of 2014, operational capabilities had still not been defined, amidst increasing speculation that the Australian government would purchase "Sōryū"-class submarines directly from Japan, skipping any tendering processes and ignoring previous commitments to build the boats in Australia.
Split into simpler sentences: By the end of 2014, operational capabilities had still not been defined. Throughout 2014, there was increasing speculation that the Australian government would purchase "Sōryū"-class submarines directly from Japan, skipping any tendering processes and ignoring previous commitments to build the boats in Australia.