US, UK and Australia decide on the nuclear-powered submarines
The US, UK and Australia have revealed details of their project to build a new fleet of nuclear-powered subs to counter China’s power in the Indo-Pacific region.
Under the Aukus agreement, Australia will get its first nuclear-powered submarines – at least three – from the United States.
All about the Aukus pact by the US, UK and Australia:
The allies will even work to make a new fleet using cutting-edge technology, including UK-made Rolls-Royce reactors.
Beijing said the main naval deal “harms peace and stability”. China’s UN mission also blamed the Western allies for rebelling against nuclear non-proliferation measures.
But US President Joe Biden said the agreement sought to maintain peace in the region and emphasised that the subs would be “nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed”.
Speaking with the UK and Australian prime ministers – Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese – in San Diego, California, Mr Biden said the agreement would not threaten Australia’s nuclear-free country pledge.
It significantly boosts the US ally’s military capabilities for Australia. The government is the second after the UK to get Washington’s elite nuclear propulsion tech.
The subs will run further and faster than the country’s diesel-engine caravan. Australia can even carry out long-range strikes against rivals for the first time.
Under the accord, Australian navy sailors will be sent to US and UK sub bases this year to learn how to use nuclear-powered subs.
From 2027, the US and UK will even base a small number of nuclear subs in Perth, Western Australia, before Canberra purchases three US-model Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s – with options to buy two more.
After that, the objective is to create and build an absolutely new nuclear-powered sub for the UK and Australian navies – a model that is being named SSN-AUKUS.
This attack craft will be made in Britain and Australia to a British creation but will use technology from all three nations. President Biden said all three nations were dedicated to ensuring the Indo-Pacific region would stay free and open.
