DI S PATC H E S | ALLIANCES
The AUKUS alliance’s pros
As China becomes increasingly aggressive territorially, this new alliance should stabilize the IndoPacific. By J. Paul de B. Taillon and James Finan
T
o the surprise of many, on Sept. 15, 2021, a new Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) security partnership was announced by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden. The news of a new trilateral agreement will likely be the most important and consequential security announcement since the fall of the Soviet Union. 42
Openly welcomed by Taiwan and Japan, this agreement aims to combat an increasingly aggressive and expansionist China by ensuring the security of this strategic region and maritime transit route. Reportedly only 10 people in the U.K. knew about the AUKUS submarine deal, which was codenamed Operation Hookless. Under the agreement, the U.K. and U.S. will negotiate within 18 months the myriad details such as the type of subma-
rine to be purchased by Australia — either the American Virginia class or the British Astute class or other type. This agreement enables the U.K. and U.S. to provide a fleet of up to eight nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), dramatically enhancing Australia’s maritime capability. In anticipation of receiving these nuclear-powered submarines, the contract will expedite the construction of important infrastructure that WINTER-SPRING 2022 | JAN-JUNE
US DEFENSE PHOTO
U.S. and British vessels sail in formation during a large-scale global exercise in the Philippine Sea in August 2021. A new security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. will ensure such activities continue.
