For the first time in 65 years, the United States will share the technology of its nuclear submarines. This will allow Australia to build powerful war machines and assemble a fleet capable of taking on Beijing’s submarines in the waters of the South China Sea.
This was announced this Monday by President Joe Biden, in what is considered his most aggressive step to counteract Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific waters, around the island of Taiwan. The announcement was made at a joint appearance in San Diego (California) with the Prime Ministers of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak.
Standing in front of the USS Missouri, a model nuclear submarine, docked at the Point Loma naval base, the three leaders of the so-called Aukus project (named after the three countries), specified for the first time their naval alliance as a way critical to keeping China’s global ambitions in check at a time when tension with the Asian giant continues to grow.
China has already condemned this initiative as illegal nuclear proliferation, which seeks to surround and isolate China, and which is yet another proof of mistrust towards the Xi Jinping regime. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan played down Beijing’s concerns and highlighted China’s military buildup, including nuclear-powered submarines. “We have communicated with them about Aukus and have requested more information regarding their intentions,” Sullivan said.
Senior US officials, at a telephone press conference, described this collaboration between the three allies as a “nuclear administration”, whose agreement was announced in 2021 to the outrage of France when it saw its program to supply Australia with submarines cancelled. The three English-speaking allies engage in a new military strategy to safeguard the security of the region.
“The United States has monitored the stability of the Indo-Pacific for decades because of the enormous benefit it offers to nations around the region,” Biden stressed. “We show again how democracies can offer security and prosperity, and not only for us but for the whole world,” she added.
Under this pact, the US will sell Australia three submarines such as the Missouri, which runs on nuclear power. Construction would begin in 2030 and it would be delivered about ten years later. In addition, the option to purchase another two is included. It is a long-term operation that shows rather coercive intentions. A notice to boaters.
According to the joint communiqué, a new version made by the British with the American collaboration will be manufactured. This other production between the United Kingdom and Australia would give rise to the SSN Aukus submarine, which would ultimately be a trilateral development. They could be assembled in those other two countries.
Biden stressed that the submarines will be nuclear-powered, but “will not have nuclear weapons of any kind.”
The deal also specifies that the US and UK will deploy their submarines to Western Australia to help train local crew members and reinforce early deterrence. These rotations would begin in 2027 and the high officials in Washington specified that the US presence will materialize with four own submarines and one British one in a few years. The first phase of the project is underway.
This move is an indication of the degree to which Biden and his advisers are focused on strategic military planning with allies to counterbalance China and its increased military capabilities, while preparing for a potential armed crisis by Taiwan, the island de facto independence that Beijing claims as part of its territory.
But US officials added that the development of nuclear submarines would also help curb aggressive actions by North Korea and Russia, which has begun naval exercises with China in the region.
In a statement prior to the appearance, Albanese and Sunak hailed the agreement as a great milestone for democratic nations to secure the future at the confluence of the Asia-Pacific area.
