Details of the AUKUS plan to provide nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia from the early 2030s were unveiled by the US, Australia, and the UK on Monday. This move comes in light of growing Chinese ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden, accompanied by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, addressed a ceremony at the San Diego naval base. Biden said the agreement under the 2021 AUKUS partnership represents a mutual dedication to an unrestricted and unimpeded Indo-Pacific region with two of America’s strongest and most competent allies. Sunak called it a mighty partnership and added that this would be the first time that three fleets of submarines would work across the Pacific and Atlantic to increase security for years to come.
THE DEAL
According to a joint statement, the US will sell three US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines built by General Dynamics to Australia in the early 2030s. Australia will also have the option to buy two more if needed. The multi-stage project would involve the production of a new submarine class called “SSN-AUKUS”.
The new submarine will be trilaterally developed, based on Britain’s next-generation design, and built in Australia and the UK, while the US will provide “cutting edge” technology. The vessel will be built by Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems. Britain would receive its first SSN-AUKUS submarine in the late 2030s, with Australia receiving its first vessel in the early 2040s. The agreement also places US and British submarines in Western Australia by 2027. Four US submarines and one British submarine will be deployed by 2027 to train Australian crews and increase deterrence.
This will be the first time since the 1950s that Washington will share nuclear-propulsion technology. The last time Washington shared this technology was with Britain. Biden put emphasis on the fact that the submarines would be nuclear-powered and not nuclear armed.
Speaking at the ceremony, Albanese called the deal “the biggest single investment” in the defence capability of Australia and said that it would strengthen its national security and increase stability in the Indo-Pacific. The deal will cost Australia an estimated $245 billion by 2055. While defending the huge cost, Albanese said that deal was an economic plan and not just a security measurement. He added that AUKUS would result in an inflow of A$6 billion into Australia’s industrial capability over the next few years and result in the creation of 20,000 jobs over the next thirty years.
CHINA’S REACTION
After the announcement of the AUKUS plan, China’s permanent mission to the United Nations denounced it as an illegal act of nuclear proliferation that presents severe risks to non-proliferation efforts, exacerbates the arms race, and damages global peace and stability.
In September last year, China stated in a position paper that the AUKUS partnership was an act of nuclear proliferation as it involved the illegal transfer of nuclear weapons material. The paper was sent to IAEA member states.
Australia had offered a briefing on the submarine deal to China but did not receive any response from the powerful Asian nation.
WHAT IS AUKUS?
AUKUS is a new strategic defense partnership between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom that was announced in September 2021. The primary focus of AUKUS is to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines to enhance its maritime capabilities and security in the Indo-Pacific region, as a response to China’s growing military presence and assertiveness in the area.
The partnership also includes cooperation on emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cyber, quantum computing, and underwater systems, as well as information sharing and logistics support.
The announcement of AUKUS has received mixed reactions, with some viewing it as a necessary move to counter China’s expansionist policies and assertive behavior, while others have raised concerns about the impact of the partnership on regional stability and the non-proliferation regime.
