U.S. in talks to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia -WSJ

(Reuters) – The Biden administration is in discussions with Australia to build the first few nuclear-powered submarines for the island nation in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing Western officials.

Australia has been boosting its defense spending over the past few years as China steps up its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The idea is to provide Australia with an initial nuclear-powered fleet, which can spend longer time underwater, by the mid-2030s, the Journal reported.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)