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The defense leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia (AUKUS) met for the trilateral security dialogue at the AUKUS defense ministerial meeting in London, on September 26, 2024. The leaders agreed to enhance their military capabilities, deepen interoperability, and strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

The UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey hosted U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles in London to review progress in and reaffirm their commitment to the AUKUS partnership.

According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the three countries have advanced their efforts to equip Australia with a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine. Over the past year, more Australian sailors have enrolled in U.S. and U.K. nuclear reactor schools, and a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine has made a visit to an Australian port.

Austin highlighted, “This was just the first step toward ensuring that Australia has a sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability. We’re also making progress toward having a rotational presence of U.S. submarines by as early as 2027.”

Concluded a successful trip to London for a meeting of the third AUKUS Defense Minster’s Meeting. Our three proud democracies are committed to working together to safeguard peace and security in the Indo-Pacific – and we’ll continue to deliver results.https://t.co/WjuPZyFF23 pic.twitter.com/pZOeTwfpY6

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) September 27, 2024

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin further noted that the U.S. remains committed to supporting Australia’s efforts to recruit and train the skilled workforce needed to build, maintain, sustain, and operate a nuclear-powered submarine.

AUKUS Partnership

The AUKUS partnership is built on two pillars. The first aims to provide Australia with conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability as quickly as possible, likely by the early 2030s. The second pillar focuses on accelerating the development of emerging technologies, including uncrewed maritime systems, artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare, quantum technology, cyber capabilities, and hypersonic systems.

The Pentagon statement highlighted that Japan will focus on the maritime autonomy component, while discussions are ongoing with Canada, South Korea, and New Zealand regarding their potential contributions to Pillar II.

“As part of Pillar II, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have committed to reducing export control restrictions to facilitate secure trade among AUKUS partners, including the sale of U.S. Virginia-class submarines to Australia,” the official added.

Pillar I – Conventionally Armed, Nuclear-Powered Submarines (SSNs)

The Pillar I is focused on enabling Australia to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) as swiftly as possible. The U.S., the UK, and Australia are closely collaborating to refine milestones for this long-term endeavor, emphasizing a strong commitment to nuclear non-proliferation.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation: The partnership maintains a transparent engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop safeguards for Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion program, reaffirming Australia’s commitment to non-proliferation under international law.

Training & Workforce Development: Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Navy (RN), and U.S. Navy have collaborated across various sectors to ensure effective training for operating nuclear-powered submarines. Australian officers and sailors are undergoing training on U.S. Virginia-class submarines and UK Astute-class submarines, with plans for further expansion of the workforce by 2025. More than 60 Australian personnel are currently in training, and that number will increase significantly.

Education & Skill Building: Australia has allocated AUD 250 million for skill development, including providing university placements and scholarships in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Programs like “Jobs for Subs” are designed to recruit and train graduates, apprentices, and trainees to support the Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West).

Industrial Collaboration: The partnership between defense contractors BAE Systems and ASC Pty Ltd aims to combine decades of submarine-building experience to support the SSN-AUKUS program. The U.S. has invested USD 17.5 billion into its submarine industrial base, while Australia has committed over AUD 30 billion, and the UK has allocated £4 billion to design and infrastructure work.

Planned Maintenance & Future Capability: In 2024, the first planned maintenance of a U.S. SSN took place in Australia, with Australian personnel gaining crucial experience. This activity marks a significant step towards Australia’s goal of operating a rotational force of UK and U.S. submarines by 2027.

Historic Agreement: In August 2024, AUKUS nations signed a key agreement that will enable the transfer of nuclear propulsion material and equipment from the U.S. and UK to Australia, supporting the construction and operation of its SSN fleet.

The SSN program under Pillar I represents a long-term, collaborative effort to boost Australia’s defense capabilities while adhering to stringent nuclear non-proliferation standards. The initiative focuses on building a skilled workforce, enhancing industrial collaboration, and laying the groundwork for Australia’s future sovereign SSN fleet.


Pillar II – Advanced Capabilities

Under Pillar II of AUKUS, Australia, the UK, and the U.S. are making significant strides in developing advanced defense capabilities through trilateral collaboration, focusing on innovation, technology, and industrial cooperation. This initiative is accelerating the deployment of cutting-edge military capabilities across air, sea, land, and other domains while enhancing interoperability among the nations.

Collaboration & Innovation: The AUKUS nations are working together across science, technology, and defense industries to co-develop systems, improve joint forces, and enhance the defense innovation ecosystem. This includes integrated experiments like the “Maritime Big Play,” involving uncrewed systems to improve maritime operations, and an upcoming large-scale demonstration of around 30 systems across four domains.

Autonomous Systems & Undersea Warfare: In 2024, AUKUS partners scaled up the use of autonomous uncrewed underwater systems, launched from British and U.S. submarines, enhancing undersea warfare capabilities. They are also exploring collaboration on sensors and payloads for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities.

Long-Range Precision Strike & AI Integration: AUKUS is pushing forward with offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies through trilateral testing and experimentation. This will allow the nations to target heavily defended areas from extended ranges. Additionally, advanced AI algorithms have been deployed on P-8A aircraft to improve data processing and target identification, further enhancing anti-submarine warfare.

Artificial Intelligence & Decision-Making: The three nations are using AI to improve military decision-making, demonstrated by co-developing AI algorithms that locate and fix strike targets. These technologies are expected to be integrated into operational units in the near future.

Joint Capability Development: The International Joint Requirements Oversight Council (I-JROC) continues to drive collaborative efforts, ensuring new capabilities are interoperable and interchangeable. Focus areas include multi-domain long-range strike, integrated air and missile defense, resilient command and control systems, and robust logistics networks.

Innovation Ecosystem & Industry Collaboration: A cornerstone of Pillar II is leveraging the innovation ecosystems and defense industries of all three nations. The AUKUS partners have launched trilateral innovation challenges, such as one focused on electronic warfare, engaging defense companies from all three nations. Future innovation efforts will foster even deeper collaboration through initiatives like the Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum.

Export Control & Trade Facilitation: To stimulate defense innovation and industrial base collaboration, AUKUS countries have enacted reforms to export control regimes, making defense trade more efficient and secure. This will accelerate the delivery of advanced capabilities while maintaining high-security standards.

Engagement with Additional Partners: AUKUS partners are in discussions with other nations like Japan, Canada, and South Korea to explore collaboration on specific Pillar II projects, with an emphasis on improving maritime autonomous systems and interoperability.