September 17th 2024.
The AUKUS defense pact, which was first announced in September 2021, is celebrating its third anniversary and is looking to expand its collaboration efforts with other countries. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with the leaders of the US and Britain, released a joint statement today, highlighting the addition of South Korea, New Zealand, and Canada to the pact. This new pillar in the alliance will focus on advanced technology projects, in response to the ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Asia Pacific region.
One of the key initiatives under this new pillar is the development of a new fleet of eight nuclear-propelled submarines, with a projected cost of $368 billion by 2055. With the assistance of the UK and US, these submarines will be built in Adelaide and are expected to be in service by the 2040s. The AUKUS founders have also expressed interest in collaborating with Japan, a country with extensive experience in deep sea technology, and are open to involving other nations as well.
In their joint statement, the leaders emphasized the importance of close bilateral defense partnerships with each member of AUKUS and announced that consultations are underway with Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to identify opportunities for collaboration under Pillar II. This second pillar of the deal aims to share and develop advanced military technology, including hypersonic missiles, undersea capabilities, and artificial intelligence. The primary focus of this pillar is to deter Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is scheduled to travel to the US this weekend for a meeting with leaders from the Quad alliance - Australia, the US, India, and Japan. Among the topics to be discussed is the progress in Australia's acquisition of American-built Virginia-class nuclear powered submarines, which has been a significant focus of the AUKUS agreement.
In addition, the AUKUS alliance has a broader goal of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable. As part of this effort, the leaders have urged people to follow their WhatsApp channel for the latest updates on breaking news, celebrity, and sports. The channel promises to be a private and secure platform without any comments or algorithms and with no access to personal details.
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