The Australian Government, alongside its AUKUS partners, is implementing an ambitious and complex plan for Australia to field nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed submarines. In this paper, the authors assess whether the AUKUS Optimal Pathway is the best way forward to realise Australia’s strategic interests.

Richard Dunley argues that the AUKUS Optimal Pathway is a risky endeavour and faces many challenges, but given the limited options left to Australian officials and policymakers, it is probably the best path forward.

Elizabeth Buchanan suggests that rather than pursue the unrealistic and costly quest of an Australian-built fleet of nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs), the Australian Government should focus its energies on an enhanced United States SSN capability from Australian shores.