As concerns over China’s influence around the globe rise, Joe Biden and two other U.S. allies confirmed Monday that Australia plans to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in order to strengthen its collection.
In a trilateral agreement called AUKUS, Biden joined forces with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to form a three-part plan that would lead to the navies of London and Canberra developing advanced nuclear warships.
“Today, as we stand at an inflection point in history, where the, where the hard work of advancing deterrence and promoting stability is going to affect the prospect of peace for decades to come, the United States can ask for no better partner in the Indo-Pacific, where so much of our shared future will be written,” Biden reportedly said.
The initial stages of the agreement involve American and British submarines paying a visit to Australian ports in order to brief their sailors on their armed forces and nuclear power training facilities. As was noted by OANN, Australia is the only nation of the three that has not utilized nuclear propulsion technology with its submarines. The countries plan to start a rotating submarine force, aptly called Submarine Rotational Forces West, starting as soon as 2027.
In the second part of the plan, Australia hopes to buy three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the U.S., with an opportunity to purchase another two once the nation has sufficiently trained its military and has set up the infrastructure to hold more of the high-powered machines. The goal is for this to occur in the 2030s.
Former British politician Nigel Farage, who previously led both the UK Independence Party and Brexit Party (since retitled Reform UK), reacted to the AUKUS deal during an appearance with Sky News Australia, remarking that Australia was the first nation to truly wake up and understand the threat China poses to the world.
The AUKUS deal would never have happened as an EU Member and is a Brexit Benefit. Even better still, Macron can't stand it! pic.twitter.com/cggmiNblnu
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 14, 2023
Ultimately, the agreement hopes to reach phase three, which the nations are aiming to start in the late 2030s. Britain is slated to build its military a new nuclear-powered submarine titled SSN AUKUS, featuring American Virginia-class technologies. Canberra hopes to use the same design for its forces in the early 2040s.
To assist with these efforts, Australia is reportedly putting in an undisclosed amount of money.
