Australia signed a landmark Pacific security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom. As a part of the deal, Australia decides to buy five nuclear submarines of Virginia class from the US by 2030
At least one Virginia-class submarine is expected to enter the Australian port in the coming years. New submarines will be built with UK designs and US technology and will be delivered to Australians by the end of 2030.
Further discussions need to be conducted on the AUKUS pact, which includes Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with President Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak in San Diego.
The Pacific pact was signed in September 2021 and includes cooperation on hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence, and cyber-warfare to counter Chinese war strategies.
UK’s Guardian newspaper reported that the UK had succeeded in its bid to sell British-designed nuc submarines to Australia. On Monday, the UK government decides to revise its security, defense, and foreign policies, “a spokesman for Sunak said in London.”
The AUKUS pact is quite a concerning issue for Australia’s regional allies like Indonesia and Malaysia. The neighboring countries fear a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region. On Thursday, Australia’s defense minister sought to reassure them.
Defence Minister Richard Marles of Australia told the parliament that despite the war capabilities of the nuc submarines, they are used to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Under the initial AUKUS deal, the US and the UK agreed to provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. It will be the first time for the US to export nuclear submarines since the 1960s if it exports to Australia.
- Published By Team Australia News
