AUKUS

AUKUS
Trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States
AbbreviationAUKUS
Formation15 September 2021; 3 years ago (2021-09-15)
TypeMilitary technology partnership
PurposeCollective security
Region
Indo-Pacific
Membership

AUKUS (/ˈɔːkəs/ AW-kəs), also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States intended to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable."[1] Initially announced on 15 September 2021, the partnership involves two lines of effort referred to as pillars.[2][3] Pillar 1 focuses on Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines and the rotational basing of US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia.[4] Pillar 2 entails the collaborative development of advanced capabilities in six technological areas: undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomy, advanced cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, and electronic warfare; and in two broader functional areas: innovation and information sharing.[5][3]

AUKUS is widely seen as a response to the perception among its members that the People's Republic of China poses a threat to the Indo-Pacific region.[6][7] The Chinese government said, when the partnership was announced, that it risked "severely damaging regional peace" and had a "cold-war mentality".[8]

The creation of the partnership spelled the end of a French–Australian submarine deal worth €56 billion (A$90 billion) that was controversially cancelled by Australia.[9][10] The Australian government only gave the French government a few hours notice of the cancellation of the deal before the public announcement of AUKUS.[11][12] The Australian government agreed to a €555 million (US$584 million) compensation settlement with French defence contractor Naval Group.[13][14]

  1. ^ Prime Minister of Australia; President of the United States of America; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (14 March 2023). "Joint Leaders Statement on AUKUS". Prime Minister of Australia (Press release). Retrieved 13 August 2024. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
  2. ^ Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson; President of the United States of America Joseph R. Biden (16 September 2021). "Joint Leaders Statement on AUKUS". Prime Minister of Australia (Press release). Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Nicastro, Luke (21 May 2024). AUKUS Pillar 2 (Advanced Capabilities): Background and Issues for Congress (Report). CRS Report for Congress, R47599. Congressional Research Service. p. 1.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ O'Rourke, Ronald (5 August 2024). Navy Virginia-Class Submarine Program and AUKUS Submarine (Pillar 1) Project: Background and Issues for Congress (Report). CRS Report for Congress, RL32418. Congressional Research Service. Summary.
  5. ^ Prime Minister (6 April 2022). "Fact Sheet: Implementation of the Australia – United Kingdom – United States Partnership (AUKUS)" (PDF). Prime Minister of Australia (Press release). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2022. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
  6. ^ Henderson, Anna; McHugh, Finn; Occhiuzzi, Tys (15 March 2023). "China warns AUKUS deal is accelerating an arms race in Australia's backyard". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  7. ^ Turnbull, Tiffanie (24 June 2022). "Aukus: Australia's new PM vows 'reset' with France after submarine row". BBC News Online. BBC. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Aukus: China denounces US-UK-Australia pact as irresponsible". BBC News. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference recall was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Marlowe, Lara (17 September 2021). "France recalls ambassadors from US, Australia over submarine deal". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Aukus pact: France and US seek to mend rift". BBC News. BBC. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABC17Sep2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference AJ2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).