Australia, U.S., U.K. sign nuclear transfer deal for AUKUS submarines

Australia signs nuclear deal with US and UK for submarine fleet, amid strategic concerns over Chinese military ambitions.

Australia said on Monday (August 12, 2024) it had signed a deal to allow the exchange of nuclear secrets and material with the United States and Britain, a key step toward equipping its navy with nuclear-powered submarines.

It binds the three countries to security arrangements for the transfer of sensitive U.S. and U.K. nuclear material and knowhow as part of the tripartite 2021 AUKUS security accord.

AUKUS, which envisages building an Australian nuclear-powered submarine fleet and jointly developing advanced warfighting capabilities, is seen as a strategic answer to Chinese military ambitions in the Pacific region.

"This agreement is an important step towards Australia's acquisition of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy," said Richard Marles, Australia's Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

Australia's acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet would set the "highest non-proliferation standards", he said, stressing that the country did not seek nuclear weapons.

The latest deal — signed in Washington last week and tabled in the Australian parliament on Monday (August 12, 2024) — includes a provision for Australia to indemnify its partners against any liability for nuclear risks from material sent to the country.

Nuclear material for the future submarines' propulsion would be transferred from the U.S. or Britain in "complete, welded power units", it says.