AUKUS and Australia

A moment of reckoning for AUKUS and Australia.

An announcement on an “optimal pathway” for AUKUS, the security partnership between the US, Australia, and the UK.
The consequences of Australia’s aspirations to operate a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines within the next decade are significant.

About
- AUKUS is a new trilateral strategic defence alliance comprised of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Except for the United Kingdom, this is the first time the US has shared nuclear propulsion technology with an ally.
- When the Australian Navy’s commander asked the UK for aid in procuring nuclear-powered submarines, the UK established the AUKUS alliance.
- Joseph Biden, Scott Morrison, and Boris Johnson discussed this at England’s June 2021 G7 conference.
- It is not a collective defence treaty.
- It does not replace Australia’s 1951 ANZUS Treaty with the United States or alter its strategic connection with the United Kingdom.

Background
- The apparent scope of the Chinese threat in the Indo-Pacific region has grown significantly in recent years.
- In this environment, nuclear-powered submarines have a higher range, are faster, and are more difficult to detect.
- Meanwhile, the United States may send attack submarines from HMAS Stirling, an Australian navy installation near Perth.
- The US will lead the endeavour and the specific technologies it is willing to provide.
- As well as, the UK’s participation in submarine supplies is unknown.

AUKUS is a new trilateral security alliance created by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia will purchase nuclear-powered submarines as part of the strategy, with aid from the United Kingdom and the United States.
The agreement seeks to keep a lid on a growing China exercising its military powers in recent years, from the South China Sea to the Indian border in Ladakh.
Beijing’s booming economy supports the rapidly expanding Chinese Navy.
American officials describe the most rapid military build-up since World War II.
The three countries of the AUKUS alliance will collaborate on new technologies such as;
- Applied AI, quantum technologies, and submarine capabilities via the AUKUS platform.
The United States and the United Kingdom will share technologies with Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines.
Its primary goal is to produce a class of nuclear-powered submarines.
It also wishes to participate in the Indo-Pacific region and advance technology.

Under the AUKUS agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom will help Australia build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.
AUKUS will help to create new jobs in the defence industry.
And the submarine project, which will take decades, will demand cutting-edge technology.
First, the three countries’ naval officials and technical personnel will work together over the next 18 months.
Due to technological complexity, Australia’s nuclear submarine fleet may not be operational until around 2040.
The ability of nuclear-powered submarines to stay submerged for extended periods with enough fuel to continue for years theoretically.
It is advantageous in stealth attacks, which is their major advantage.
Traditional submarines driven by diesel-powered electric engines must surface regularly to recharge their batteries, making them more detectable.
The new military alliance will be important in resolving the Indo-geopolitical Pacific’s position.
Analysts believe the purpose is to curb the spread of China’s footprint.
The AUKUS alliance has outlined several steps to prepare Australia’s military infrastructure to deliver AUKUS capabilities.
The most noteworthy of these projects was the proclamation of a “Future Naval Base” on Australia’s east coast.

The developments surrounding AUKUS are instructive for Indian observers.
Obtaining nuclear propulsion technology is going to be difficult for India as well.
India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Due to the hurdles n transferring technology for HEU-fuelled reactors in nuclear attack submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom;
- India has only one viable option: purchasing a high-power reactor from France.
However, a viable option for India is the miniaturised low-enriched uranium (LEU) reactor core for SSNs.
It would impose its constraints, including India’s reliance on France for reactor fuel and the requirement for frequent refuelling.

AUKUS continues to be a military treaty with the ability to influence the strategic contours of maritime Asia.
Reform the US export control regime by establishing a “carve-out” of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Acquiring key technology from the United States remains a more difficult prospect for India.
It has never been in the same category as Australia as a US partner.
For Australia to deploy nuclear-powered submarines with reactors powered by high-enriched uranium (HEU).
Iran must exploit a loophole allowing non-nuclear weapon states to extract fissile material from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-monitored stockpile.
Removing the nuclear reactors could set a dangerous precedent, allowing potential proliferators to utilise naval reactors as a cover for future nuclear weapons development.

Pic Courtesy: Financial Times

Content Source: The Hindu