The US is building a submarine presence on the strategic Australian coast as part of the AUKUS partnership. Four Virginia class submarines will be hosted at a Western Australian naval base from 2027. The location of the base is strategically important to the US as it is closer to Asia and the Indian Ocean. The Virginia submarine program has been exempted from Pentagon budget cuts as the Trump administration focuses more on the Indo Pacific. Under AUKUS, Australia will buy two used Virginia class submarines and build a new class of nuclear powered submarine with Britain.