Nuclear Submarines, a Quick Guide To An Important Difference

Following the announcement that Australia will acquire “nuclear submarines” through the AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-United States) partnership, some confusion has arisen. In defense circles “nuclear submarine” is almost always used to refer to a nuclear powered submarine. Certainly in my experience. And that is the case with the AUKUS submarines. The politicians even labored this point during the announcement. However, many observers, some apparently deliberately, have invited confusion and speculation by implying that it means nuclear armed submarines. This quick chart should hopefully help clear things up for those less familiar with submarine matters. The nuclear-armed submarines in major powers use…