AUKUS Deal: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday finalised steps to carry out the first major project under the AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom and the United States) deal to strengthen Australia's defence capability. The leaders of the three nations met in San Diego, California, US to discuss the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines.
The deal is aimed to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable to counter China's ambitions in the region, reported Reuters.
While addressing the media, US President Biden elaborated on the project and said that the new nuclear-power submarines, which will be developed jointly by the three countries, will be called SSN-AUKUS.
"Today, we're announcing the steps to carry out our first project under AUKUS and developing Australia's conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine capacity. The subs are nuclear-powered and not nuclear-armed," Biden said, as quoted by ANI.
He added, "United Nations will sell three submarines to Australia with the potential to sell two more if needed. The ultimate goal is not just selling submarines to Australia, it is developing something new together, we are calling it the SSN-AUKUS."
Speaking on the occasion, Australian PM Albanese said that the AUKUS deal represents the biggest ever single investment in his country's defence sector.
He said, "AUKUS agreement represents biggest single investment in Australia’s defence capability in all of our history, strengthening Australia’s national security and stability; building a future made in Australia with record investments in skills, jobs, and infrastructure."
Highlighting the challenges the world is facing due to the unruly behaviour of several nations, UK Rishi Sunak said, "In the last 18 months, the challenges we face have only grown. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder, and division."
According to the joint statement of the three leaders, following is the timeline of the project:
1. As early as 2027, the United States and United Kingdom plan to begin forward rotations of SSNs to Australia to accelerate the development of the Australian naval personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory system necessary to establish a sovereign SSN capability.
2. Starting in the early 2030s, pending Congressional approval, the United States intends to sell Australia three Virginia class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed. This step will systematically grow Australia’s sovereign SSN capability and support capacity.
3. In the late 2030s, the United Kingdom will deliver its first SSN-AUKUS to the Royal Navy. Australia will deliver the first SSN-AUKUS built in Australia to the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s.