Toward Programme
Port Kembla steelworks could close to make way for US sub base - Illawarra Mercury
Why it matters
A potential US submarine forward-basing agreement at Port Kembla would represent a major deepening of AUKUS maritime posture in Australian territory and a concrete demonstration of US commitment to Indo-Pacific deterrence, directly supporting Australia's naval defence architecture. However, the closure of a steelworks signals a further erosion of domestic manufacturing capacity, trading short-term industrial sovereignty for alliance capability.
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