The Australian government has declined to confirm reports that two Australian sailors were aboard a US nuclear-powered submarine that torpedoed an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean. Defence personnel have been rotating on US Navy submarines out of Pearl Harbor as part of AUKUS training arrangements, but long-standing protocols prevent the government from disclosing specific deployment locations. Both government and opposition representatives have emphasised that these protocols exist for operational security reasons and that such rotations are essential for developing Australia's future submarine capability.

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