In a ceremony held at the US naval base in San Diego, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled the details of the 2021 AUKUS partnership plan. The three countries have committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s ambitions in the area.
Sunak hailed the partnership as “a powerful partnership,” with the three fleets of submarines working together across the Atlantic and Pacific to keep the oceans free. The United States plans to sell three Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, with the option to buy two more if needed, in the early 2030s.
The multi-stage project will culminate in the production and operation of a new submarine class, the SSN-AUKUS, which will be built in Britain and Australia and will include cutting-edge US technologies. BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce will build the vessels, with Britain receiving its first SSN-AUKUS submarine in the late 2030s, and Australia receiving its first in the early 2040s.
Albanese hailed the AUKUS agreement as the biggest single investment in Australia’s defence capability in history, strengthening Australia’s national security and stability in the region. While Asian allies welcomed the deal, it has angered Beijing.
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