WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will meet leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego on Monday (Mar 13) to announce a way forward for Australia to receive nuclear-powered subm
The three countries announced the so-called AUKUS plan in 2021 as part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The agreement would have multiple stages with at least one US submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years and end in the late 2030s with a new class of submarines built with British designs and American technology, one of the officials said. China has condemned the effort by the Western allies, who are seeking to counter its military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and increasingly muscular deployments in the contested South China Sea.
Bill Greenwalt, a former senior Pentagon official for industrial policy, said that since it will be years before Australia has new submarines, the partners urgently need to move forward with this second stage, which covers capabilities that could be deployed within the next few years and are needed quickly given the growing threat posed by China.
The US Congress has been briefed in recent weeks on the AUKUS deal to garner support for the legal changes needed to smooth out technology transfer issues for the highly secret nuclear propulsion and sonar systems that will be aboard Australia’s new submarines, a congressional source said on condition of anonymity.
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday the submarines would ensure peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
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