Biden announces nuclear-powered submarines for Australia
The Hindu
PM Albanese said the agreement “represents the biggest single investment in Australia’s defence capability in all of our history”
President Joe Biden and the leaders of Australia and the United Kingdom on Monday announced that Australia will purchase nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S. to modernise its fleet amid growing concern about China's influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr. Biden flew to San Diego to appear with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as they hailed an 18-month-old nuclear partnership given the acronym AUKUS — for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The partnership, announced in 2021, enables Australia to access nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered vessels, as a counterweight to China's military buildup.
Mr. Biden, appearing sensitive to tensions with China and its criticism of the deal, stressed that the submarines are “nuclear powered, not nuclear armed.”
“These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind of them,” he said at an outdoor ceremony at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, where he was flanked by Mr. Albanese and Mr. Sunak. Two submarines, the USS Missouri and the USS Charlotte, were tied up at the next pier in the Pacific Ocean behind the leaders.
Mr. Albanese said the agreement “represents the biggest single investment in Australia's defence capability in all of our history.”
It's also the first time in 65 years that the U.S. has shared its nuclear propulsion technology, ”and we thank you for it," he said.
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