Australia has taken the first step towards creating a nuclear submarine fleet. Yesterday, November 23, information appeared on the website of the Naval Institute of the US Navy that the United States and Great Britain will share their nuclear power plant technologies for submarines for the first time.
The signed agreement on the exchange of information on offshore nuclear power plants (ENNPIA) will allow Australia to familiarize itself with UK and US technologies within 18 months. This should help the Australian Defense Ministry determine the requirements for promising nuclear submarines to be purchased for the Australian Navy.
Submarines of the Australian Navy
Image source: janes.com
"The agreement will expand cooperation, which will significantly improve our mutual defense capability and support our interests in accordance with the North Atlantic Treaty and the Security Treaty of Australia, New Zealand and the United States, as well as an enhanced trilateral security partnership between the three parties, known as AUKUS," US President Joseph Biden said at the signing of ENNPIA.
In September of this year, the creation of a new military alliance was announced. It was named AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) and should "protect and defend common interests in the Indo-Pacific region." The joint statement by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joseph Biden does not mention other countries, but anonymous sources in the White House have already stated that the new military alliance was created to counter the influence of the People's Republic of China.
The AUKUS Pact provides for cooperation in the creation of defense technologies, including autonomous weapons systems based on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and computer technology. In accordance with the agreement, Australia will be able to build nuclear submarines for the first time. To do this, the country broke the "deal of the century" with France, which is already on the verge of collapse.