The ambitious plan of nuclear-powered submarines from the USA, Australia, Britain, with an eye on China

The USAAustralia and Britain presented yesterday, Monday, the details of a plan that provides to deliver nuclear powered submarines to Canberra from the early 2030s to counter China’s ambitions in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the US Navy base in San Diego, California, in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, US President Joe Biden assured that his country could not have “better friends ”, excluding the AUKUS alliance.

“We are placing ourselves in the best possible position to face together the challenges of today and tomorrow,” he added.

Albanese underlined that his country is “making the biggest investment in its history” through this cooperation, while Sunac commented that “three submarine fleets will work together in the Atlantic and Pacific to keep our oceans free (…) for many decades”.

According to the Australian government, this project, which will cost almost 40 billion dollars in the first ten years, will create about 20,000 jobs.

Three phases

This attack submarine program, which has the ambition to change the Western military presence in the Pacific, will develop in three phases, as explained by the White House.

It will also be based on a “critical” principle, as Biden stated: “these underwater they will be nuclear-powered, but will not carry nuclear weapons’, in order to respect the principle of nuclear non-proliferation.

THE first phase will be about Australia’s familiarization with nuclear technology and nuclear powered submarines. The aim is to deploy in the country from 2027 on a rotating basis four American and one British submarines at the Australian base in Perth.

In second year, and after Congress gives its go-ahead, Australia will buy three US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines, with an option to buy two more. These will begin to be delivered from 2030.

In third and more ambitious phase of the program the USA, the Australia and Britain will collaborate on a new generation of attack submarines, which will be called the SSN AUKUS. These are expected to be delivered from the late 2030s and early 2040s.

Reactions

THE China has condemned the AUKUS alliance as an illegal nuclear proliferation act. The plan “poses serious nuclear proliferation risks, undermines the international non-proliferation system, ignites an arms race and harms peace and stability,” China’s permanent mission to the UN said on Twitter.

Asked if he was concerned about Beijing viewing the nuclear submarine agreement as an act of aggression, Biden said no. The US president added that he is going to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping soon, without specifying when.

For his part, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles pointed out that his country has informed China about the agreement, as reported by international agencies and relayed by the Athens News Agency.

“We call on the US, Britain and Australia to abandon the mentality of the Cold War and the zero-sum game,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said yesterday, Monday.

None of the three leaders who met in San Diego yesterday made clear references to China, but Mr Biden made an indirect reference. He stated that the AUKUS alliance would ensure “that the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open”.