Indo-Pacific: The United States wants to make nuclear submarines possible for Australia

As the White House High Representative said on Wednesday, along with Great Britain, engineers, strategists and the military need to explore what is the “best way” to get Australia’s modern submarines. The U.S. government has previously agreed to share this “highly secretive” technology – as was the case in Great Britain about 70 years ago, the official said.

The initiative is part of a new “security partnership” between the three states for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative is called “AUKUS” based on the English abbreviations of the participating countries and will be announced on Wednesday afternoon (local time) by President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a joint video channel. , The officer further explained. This is a “historic step” with the help of the US government’s determined “strong partnership” to ensure stability in the Indian Ocean and Pacific region.

The U.S. government and Australia are concerned about China’s growing power in the Indo – Pacific region. However, the White House official insisted that the new alliance was not directed against any particular country. The announcement of a new partnership, including the possible sale of nuclear submarines, is unlikely to please the communist leadership in Beijing.

The nuclear-powered submarines will allow Australia to continue to operate submarines for longer periods of time, which is quieter and more capable than usual, a White House official said. However, Australia does not intend to possess nuclear weapons, he stressed.

Australia has already signed a multi-billion dollar agreement with France to build twelve new submarines. The French offer, according to which submarines should be awarded from 2030, existed against one of the German rivals, the Tyson Group. The Shortfin Paracuda submarine to be built in Australia is the largest military acquisition in the country’s history. It was not clear early Wednesday how the existing plan would be aligned with the new cooperation with the United States and Great Britain.

Unlike Great Britain, Australia is not a member of the Western Defense Alliance NATO, but is considered a close partner of the organization. Australia has participated in NATO military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition to bilateral relations, the United States and Australia are known as the “Five Eyes” Partnership of the Secret Service. The alliance includes Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. Biden relies on the “Quad” alliance for security and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The quartet includes Australia, India, Japan and the United States. Biden will receive coalition leaders at the White House next week.