Australia to buy US nuclear submarines in ambitious new deal

On Monday, Australia announced it would buy up to five nuclear submarines from USA and build a new model using American and British technology as part of an ambitious plan to strengthen the West in the region Pacific Asia.

President Joe Biden received Australian and British Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak at the naval base in San Diego, California to announce the project.

Against the backdrop of a U.S. Virginia-class nuclear submarine and flanked by two other leaders, Biden said the United States “guaranteed stability in the Asia-Pacific region for decades to come” and that this alliance would strengthen “the world’s expectations for decades to come.” .” “.

This partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, known by the English acronym AUKUS, will allow Canberra to replace its submarine fleet with a nuclear one, which will add significant strength to the Western alliance seeking to counter China’s military expansion. . Although Australia rules out at the moment equipping itself with nuclear weapons.

The Australian government estimates that the multi-decade project will cost about $40 billion in the first 10 years and will create about 20,000 jobs.

Albanese called it “the largest one-time investment in Australia’s defense capability in our history”, noting that the three countries “are united, above all, for peace … where peace, stability and security guarantee greater prosperity”.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters flying to California on Air Force One that the plan exemplifies Washington’s long-term commitment to protecting “peace and stability” in the Pacific Asia region.

Association with Australiawhich includes sharing secret nuclear technology previously only shared with the UK is “a commitment for decades, maybe a century,” Sullivan said.

According to Sullivan, the Australian government will procure conventionally armed Virginia-class nuclear submarines “during the 2030s” with “the possibility of increasing the number to five if necessary.”

The new model, also nuclear-powered and conventionally armed, is a longer-term project and will be called the PLA-AUKUS, he added, adding that it will be based on a British design using American technology and “significant investment in three industrial bases.

Previously, Australia it was about to replace its aging fleet of diesel submarines with a $66 billion package of conventional French vessels.

Canberra’s sudden announcement to withdraw from this agreement and join the AUKUS project sparked a brief but unusually bitter dispute between the three countries and France, their close ally.

China counter

While Australia has ruled out deploying nuclear weapons, the submarine project marks a major new stage in the US’s attempt to counter Beijing’s growing military power.

Faced with China’s challenge, which includes building a sophisticated navy and turning artificial islands into offshore bases, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK is also looking to bolster its military capabilities, Sunak’s office said on Monday.

More than $6 billion in additional funding over the next two years “will replenish and reinforce vital munitions stockpiles, modernize the British nuclear company and fund the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme,” Downing Street said.

China warned that AUCUS threatened to provoke an arms race and accused the three countries of delaying nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

“We call on the United States, Britain and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games, faithfully fulfill international obligations and do more that will lead to regional peace and stability,” a defense ministry spokeswoman told reporters in Beijing. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mao Ning.

Communist leader Xi Jinping issued a scathing statement last week accusing the United States of leading the West’s efforts to “contain, encircle and suppress China.”

But Washington says Beijing is raising alarm among countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its threats to invade Taiwan’s autonomous democracy, and also highlights the threat from North Korea and its nuclear weapons.

“What we have seen is a series of provocative measures that China has taken under the leadership of Xi Jinping over the past five to ten years,” Sullivan said. “This is an attempt to protect and secure the Indo-Pacific Operating System.”

(According to AFP)