To counter the growing threat from China, President Joe Biden has agreed to sell three fast-attack nuclear submarines to Australia in a deal with the United Kingdom.
In front of the USS Missouri, a 377-foot nuclear attack submarine, Biden made the announcement of the agreement at San Diego, the base of the US Pacific Fleet.
AUKUS Nuclear Submarines Agreement
The AUKUS agreement is about ensuring that the Indo-Pacific will stay free and open, the president declared in a direct message to Beijing as it increases its military posture near Taiwan.
He continued, saying, “The United States could not imagine of two better friends to stand with.” He then addressed British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The action, which coincides with the Pentagon asking for its largest budget during a time of peace, represents one of Biden’s most robust responses to China’s expanding military.
“AUKUS has one overriding objective: to enhance the stability of the Indo-Pacific amid rapidly shifting global dynamics,” Biden said Monday in San Diego, California. “This first project, this first project is only the beginning.”
At North Island Naval Air Station, the Australian and British prime ministers Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese flanked the president. The president said: “I’m happy to be your shipmate.”
The Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) alliance, according to Biden, has an odd name but is a potent organization. Yet after bellicose rhetoric from both China President Xi Jinping and his new top diplomat, Qin Gang, the president became serious as he emphasized that the submarines that will be purchased and built together are likely to be nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed.
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US-China Tensions
On September 15, 2021, AUKUS was revealed, destroying an agreement between Australia and France for diesel-powered submarines. In addition to upsetting the larger European Union, which had planned to implement its own Indo-Pacific policy, the deal also heightened tensions between the United States and France.
An 18-month period of consultation comes to an end with Monday’s statement. The first phases involve embedding personnel, a series of port visits, the development of rotating submarine forces starting in 2027, and Australia purchasing up to five Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s.
Given that relations between the United States and China are already tense following the downing of a spy balloon last month, national security adviser Jake Sullivan minimized the possibility of growing tensions with China.
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