US, UK, and Australia Launch Security Alliance 'AUKUS' to Counter China... First Nuclear Submarine Support for Australia (Update)

Formation of the Second Quad Yearly Major Deterrence Military Consultative Body
Support for Nuclear Submarine Technology to Australia Following News of China's Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Development

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia announced the launch of a new trilateral security consultation body called 'AUKUS' to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region. Following the Quad, AUKUS is the second military consultation body aimed at countering China, and it is expected to enhance the military deterrence capabilities of the U.S. and its allies in the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australia’s possession of nuclear submarines.

On the 15th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the launch of the new trilateral security consultation body, AUKUS, through a video conference. President Biden emphasized at a joint press conference after the video meeting that "it is important to ensure long-term peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and this marks a historic step to deepen and formalize cooperation among the three countries."

The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia plan to strengthen cooperation in new military technologies such as cyber, artificial intelligence, and quantum capabilities through AUKUS, and promote the sharing of security information and information technology to counter China.

As the first initiative for this, AUKUS has reportedly decided to support Australia’s possession of nuclear submarines. The U.S. political media outlet Politico cited a senior U.S. government official saying, "AUKUS has decided to support Australia’s possession of nuclear-powered submarines, and to find the optimal method, relevant teams from the three countries will form a working group to conduct joint research over 18 months."

However, the official stated, "This technology is extremely sensitive, and frankly, it is an exception to many aspects of our policy," adding, "We do not expect this to be undertaken in other situations in the future. We are doing this as a one-off." This drew a line on the possibility of support for other allies. Nevertheless, expectations are growing for future technical support for other allies pursuing nuclear submarine development, such as South Korea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.