The U.S. is working with Australia to stand up a nuclear-powered submarine fleet, a daunting task that follows a security agreement between the two countries and the United Kingdom to check China’s aggressive reach in the Pacific.

A first step is to establish U.S.-based training of commanding officers of Australia’s future fleet of nuclear powered submarines. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, whose congressional district includes the Groton submarine manufacturer General Dynamics Electric Boat, and who chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, is pushing legislation to boost training.

Australians are “starting from a zero industrial base,” with no nuclear experience, including nuclear power plants, he said in a recent interview.

Scott Morrison, who was Australia’s prime minister from 2018 until his election defeat last month, recognized that a $90 billion investment, the largest acquisition in the nation’s history, “should get the best platform around for most of the 21st century,” Courtney said.

Joined by U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.; Derek Kilmer, D-Wash.; and Blake Moore, R-Utah, Courtney introduced the Australia-U.S. Submarine Officer Pipeline Act. Its intent is to establish a joint training pipeline between the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy and start U.S.-based training of commanding officers for Australia’s future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines under the three-nation agreement known as the AUKUS alliance, for Australia, the U.K. and U.S.

The legislation calls for engaging with industry partners and expanding industrial base capacity to support increased submarine production. The bill establishes an exchange program between the U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy to integrate and train Australian sailors to operate and maintain nuclear-powered submarines.

Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said a precedent for the strategic alliance is a Cold War partnership in which the U.S. shared submarine technology and training with Britain. The alliance with Australia could eventually lead to the dispatch of two Virginia-class submarines operated by joint Australian and U.S. officers and crews, he said.

President Joe Biden last year worked with British and Australian leaders to establish the security agreement. France, which lost a $66 billion deal with Australia to build new diesel-electric submarines, fiercely protested the arrangement, briefly rupturing a key U.S.-European alliance.

Australia opted for nuclear-powered subs that can remain submerged — and therefore avoid risk of detection — for longer periods.

Electric Boat President Kevin Graney said when the security agreement was announced that the submarine manufacturer is ready to help the U.S., although it’s not been asked for any specific action. A spokesman said EB has no role in the officer training program created by the legislation.

Courtney said the AUKUS alliance is the “most important national security partnership that America has entered into in decades” and that “it makes sense to open the U.S. Navy’s nuclear training programs to Australia’s naval officers to acquire proficiency” in operating nuclear submarines.

The legislation will authorize an education and training program for Royal Australian Navy submariners to receive formal instruction in the highest standard of U.S. Navy technology and will begin rotating in the first Australian sailors who will command their future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

At least two Australian submarine officers would be selected each year to participate in training with the U.S. Navy. Each participant will be trained in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion School, enroll in the Submarine Office Basic Course and be assigned to duty on a U.S. submarine.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.