The AUKUS Defense Pact and its International Reaction
AUKUS is a military defense pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its creation was announced by the leaders of the three countries on 15 September 2021 in a joint speech. According to the White House transcript of the remarks, Prime Minister Morrison of Australia states that the Indo-Pacific region is in need of stability and security, which is likely a nod to Chinese expansionism. They state that the greatest amount of focus will first be on sending a fleet of nuclear powered submarines to Australia. The technology that will be used was created in the U.S. and has only been shared with the U.K. since its development; this will be the first time it has been given to an ally in the last fifty years. Currently, only six countries have this technology, all of which also possess nuclear weapons. The other four, apart from the US and the UK, include France, China, India, and Russia. The announcement of the underwater advancements made clear the fact that while nuclear energy will be used in order to power the subs, they will not be nuclear-armed. Australia has stated that they have no interest in becoming a nuclear power and are committed to the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). However, the advanced submarines were not the only way the leaders mentioned they would band together. President Biden said in his speech that “AUKUS will bring together our sailors, our scientists, and our industries to maintain and expand our edge in military capabilities and critical technologies, such as cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and undersea domains”. This pact has been said to be the most important deal for Australia in decades.
There have been reactions to the announcement across the international community, for example, New Zealand, who according to BBC News said that in keeping with former policy, they will not allow the nuclear-powered Australian submarines in their waters. Perhaps one of the most outraged parties involved has been France. Australia and France had a deal in place since 2016 for France to build twelve diesel powered submarines; the deal was worth $37 billion according to the BBC. France is said to have only received word of the termination of the deal a few hours before the pact was announced to the public. There has been some back and forth between French and Australian leadership about whether or not it had been an obvious conclusion prior to the announcement. The French do not only feel betrayed by Australia, but by the United States as well, which they have expressed through the recall of both their Australian and U.S. ambassadors. The French also have the same technology for nuclear powered submarines, so if they had been willing, they could have been given the chance to collaborate with the three countries. If that had been the case, the French may have been less reactive to the loss of their previous deal with Australia. On a more ironic note, President Biden specifically spoke about France in the speech announcing AUKUS, noting that they were a “key partner and ally” as an Indo-Pacific presence. While this may have been a way for US leadership to feel as though they could “include” France; however, it is highly doubtful France saw it the same way.
As expected, another disgruntled party is China. China has made many moves in the past few years to expand into the disputed South China Sea which are seen as both aggressive and unlawful by many in the region as well as other world powers. There have been confrontations in the South China Sea that have led to hostile escalations of military power. It is assumed that China is so adamant about their position in the South China Sea given the benefits to shipping and more land away from mainland China. The communities created on the atolls and reefs are a big step in maritime engineering according to BBC News. The main use for the territory seems to be for military support including air strips, hangers, and bunkers. Subi Reef actually has a farm and Chinese hydrologists say that they should have a self-sufficient water system within the next two decades. The Chinese have also erected monuments created from rock taken from one of the most sacred mountains in mainland China. They continue to push for dominance in the region and other countries are attempting to push back. This is likely the main reason for the United States, joined by the United Kingdom and Australia, to create a pact that portrays a show of force in the region.
The advantages of these nuclear powered submarines are that they can stay out at sea and underwater far longer than a conventional submarine is able to. They are also faster, which can have many benefits when used for confrontational military purposes. However, they are more expensive to build and are larger than the conventional alternative. There have been concerns raised over the spent uranium and where it will be housed, as well as the threat of nuclear accidents either at port or out at sea. There has been contention and questions about which country will be enriching the uranium and whether it will be highly enriched uranium (HEU) or lightly enriched uranium (LEU). This is a point of contention given that HEU is what is used for nuclear weaponry, and while very few people are concerned with the possibility that Australia will create a nuclear weapon, some people are of the belief that it sets a bad precedent. There are many different perspectives on the issue, but overall the pact has been treated as a win for Australia as well as an important step for America to show the support of their allies. The talks are ongoing and plenty could still change within the coming months and potentially years.
