Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the federal government would look to announce whether Australia would use nuclear submarines from the US or UK in the first quarter of next year.

An announcement would be made then of when the new submarines would be operational, Marles said.

The timeline confirmation followed talks in Washington at the Australian American Leadership Dialogue, which Marles attended.

“Talking about AUKUS, talking about the process that is underway was a real focus of the conversations,” he told reporters in Washington.

“But I come away with a sense that this work is on track, it is being done and we look forward to being able to make those announcements as we planned.”

It was revealed Australia would acquire nuclear-powered vessels as part of AUKUS when the security pact was announced in September last year.

The Osborne Shipyards are set to be the building spot for at least eight nuclear-powered submarines under the trilateral arrangement. 

The Morrison Government’s decision also involved scrapping the $90bn French submarine contract, prompting anger from the European nation.

The federal government has agreed to pay French submarine contractor Naval Group $835m in compensation for breaking the deal.

The first submarines as part of AUKUS aren’t expected to be operational until the late 2030s.

Concerns had been raised about Australia’s capability gaps before the new submarines, which replace the ageing Collins Class boats, would be able to be used.

– AAP