President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced, during a virtual three-way summit yesterday, a new defense and security “partnership” between the three countries. It is to be called AUKUS – Australia-United Kingdom-United States – which will be “guided by our enduring ideals and shared commitment to the international rules-based order,” said a statement issued by the White House.
“Through AUKUS, our governments will strengthen the ability of each to support our security and defense interests, building on our longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties,” the statement said. “We will promote deeper information and technology sharing. We will foster deeper integration of security and defense-related science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains. And in particular, we will significantly deepen cooperation on a range of security and defense capabilities.”
The first initiative under the new arrangement will be an 18-month effort to explore a pathway for supplying Australia with its own fleet of nuclear powered submarines “at the earliest achievable date.” it said. “The development of Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines would be a joint endeavor between the three nations, with a focus on interoperability, commonality, and mutual benefit,” the statement goes on. The statement also stresses, as did the three leaders in a joint press appearance, that the program will be fully in compliance with all nuclear proliferation commitments.
