The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom on Monday announced a military-industrial agreement that includes the sale of between three and five US Canberra nuclear submarines and the construction of a new class of submarines for the British and Australian navies. with American technology, within the framework of the AUKUS security agreement, was seen as a counterweight to China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
US President Joe Biden met in San Diego, California with the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the “prime minister of Australia”, Anthony Albanese, to announce the historic agreement, which includes joint submarine stations in the Pacific.
Biden confirmed that this agreement is a “testimony of the ancient relationship” between the three countries and underlined his “inco-Pacific mission”.
“I want to show everyone from the beginning that these submarines are not nuclear weapons, but have a nuclear engine. Australia is a proud nuclear-free state and wants to stay that way,” Biden added.
For his part, Albanese confirmed that “AUKUS is our way to face the future” and recalled “the common tradition of serving the cause of peace and sacrifice in the name of freedom”. “We come and respect our past and with AUKUS we look to the future,” he confirmed.
submarine construction
The three countries that make up the AUKUS group – an acronym for each country in English – have agreed on a plan to expand their trilateral military-industrial capacity.
The agency envisages, among others, military and civilian training of the Australian Navy and the Royal British Navy from 2023. Likewise, Washington will increase port visits to Australia from 2023, while London will do so from 2016.
“By the 2030s, pending Congressional approval, the United States intends to sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia, with the potential to sell two more if needed,” they said in a statement.
For its part, the United Kingdom will receive a new type of nuclear submarine AUKUS in the next two years of the 2030s, while Australia will receive it in the first twenty years. These vessels will be built in collaborative Australian shipyards. and nations. These submarines will have British design and American technology.
As early as 2027, the United States and the United States plan to begin transfers to Australia to accelerate the development of Australia’s naval personnel, workforce, infrastructure, and regulatory system needed to build a major nuclear submarine capability.
In this way, the AUKUS Nations initiative seeks to increase the industrial capacity of the three countries. “Individual and collective submarines expand our presence in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to global security and stability,” they said.
