US NUMBERS TO SWELL AT PERTH AUKUS BASEUp to 2,300 Americans – many more than Australia had previously said – will be stationed at an AUKUS base in Western Australia, The Australian reports. “By 2030, we expect 2,300 Americans, to include sailors, ­civilian employees, contractors and their family members, to be in Western Australia supporting the mission,” US Navy spokesperson Joseph Keiley told the paper. Australian Submarine Agency chief Jonathan Mead had said in September last year that up to 1,200 US and UK personnel would be posted to Perth to support what’s known as Submarine Rotational Force-West.