Anthony Albanese is the Australian Prime Minister. He says that a deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines will be the nation’s biggest expansion of defense capability in its history. He added that the United States and Britain will also benefit from the partnership.
A decision will be announced this March on how a fleet of Australian submarines powered with U.S. nuclear technology will be delivered under the AUKUS tripartite agreement.
Options for the submarines design include a next-generation U.S. Virginia-class sub, a British Astute-class sub or a new hybrid design.
Critics of the agreement claim that neither the U.S. nor the U.K. has the capacity to start delivering the subs by 2040. In addition, they say that Australia lacks the shipbuilding capacity to take a lead role in the project.
Albanese said last Thursday that the technology sharing among the AUKUS partners would bring many benefits beyond the submarines.
Albanese told the Australian National Press Club about the nation’s advance from Australian-built Collins-class diesel-electric submarines that went into service more than 20 years ago. He said, “Now, this will be the single biggest leap in our defense capability in our history. AUKUS is about much more than nuclear submarines or even technological interoperability. AUKUS is about the future. It further formalizes the common values and the shared interests that our three nations have.”
Albanese mentioned that the three governments involved in the pact were focused on how their countries would benefit from spinoffs from the submarine-building cooperation.
He said, “It’s a focus that recognizes that it’s not a zero-sum game. This is one of those times when one plus one plus one equals more than three because there’s a multiplier effect and a benefit from sharing some of the science and innovation. All three countries want the sum to be a benefit for all of the three nations.
Critics of the pact argue that Australia’s lack of experience with nuclear technology will mean that it will be heavily reliant on its nuclear-armed partners. The only nuclear reactor in Australia is in the Sydney suburb of Lucas Heights where it produces nuclear isotopes for medical use.
Unlike Australia’s homemade fleet of submarines, critics argue that Australia might not be able to use its nuclear submarines in circumstances that the U.S. or the U.K. disagree with. However, Albanese said that Australia would maintain authority to decide how and where the subs are deployed.
He said, “Australia will maintain our sovereignty. That’s a decision for Australia as a sovereign nation, just as the United States will maintain its sovereignty and the United Kingdom will maintain its sovereignty.”
Australia’s regional neighbors fear that a nuclear weapons race will break out because of the AUKUS deal. Australia has reassured it neighbors that the new submarines will never carry nuclear weapons.
Australia currently spends a little more than two percent of its GDP on defense. This is above the two percent minimum that former President Trump demanded that U.S. allies spend on defense. Albanese said that defense spending would increase in the future.