US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British PM Rishi Sunak recently unveiled an ambitious, multi-decade plan to implement the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) military partnership, which aims to give Australia To give nuclear-powered submarines. The focus of the tri-nation grouping has clearly been on creating a credible deterrent to China in the region.
- In September 2021, the leaders of the US, UK and Australia announced the establishment of the AUKUS military partnership. It has two key focus areas: the transfer of nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia, and the development of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing for defense purposes.
- Their collaboration on nuclear powered submarines attracted global attention. While the US and the UK have developed this highly prized technology, Australia operates diesel-powered submarines. Nuclear powered submarines are quieter than their diesel fueled counterparts and therefore cannot be easily detected underwater. They are able to travel faster and farther, and stay under water for longer than diesel-powered subs.
- The AUKUS partnership proposed the transfer of nuclear submarine technology from the US and UK to Australia. The proposed sharing of this highly sensitive military technology, which forms the core of America’s military advantage over its adversaries at sea, was a major development.
- The target of this trick was being seen in China. Given that Australia is located in the Indo-Pacific, handing over advanced, nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra would help the US-led military architecture in the region to more effectively contain China’s growing power at sea.
- This week the leaders of the three countries announced a comprehensive, multi-decade plan to transfer this technology to Australia. Over the next few years, Australian defense personnel will be embedded in US and British security establishments and will learn how to operate these advanced submarines. Washington and London will also send their nuclear-powered submarines to Australian waters more frequently.
- Around 2027, American and British submarines will form a rotational force that will boost their military footprint in the region. In the early 2030s, Washington will sell some of its Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Canberra. Following this, the UK and Australia will also work on designing a new AUKUS-class submarine, which will be built in Australia and deployed in the early 2040s.
- While many have applauded this new program for balancing the interests of all three AUKUS countries and deterring China, there are significant concerns. The program is expected to cost the Australian taxpayer an exorbitant A$368 billion over the next few decades by some estimates. The sheer size of the defense outlay and the two-decade time frame raise the possibility that the program could lose its way.
- The AUKUS partnership also includes collaboration on advanced technologies such as cyber, artificial intelligence and quantum capabilities. However, US export controls on certain technologies could slow down this important pillar of cooperation. Without this, the main objective of AUKUS, which is to bring together the defense and security establishments of the three countries, may be lost.
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