The Australian government announced on Saturday that it had signed a treaty with Great Britain to strengthen cooperation over the next 50 years on AUKUS nuclear submarines, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
Details
The AUKUS treaty, concluded by Australia, Great Britain, and the United States in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines over the next decade to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. The administration of US President Donald Trump announced an official review of the treaty this year.
Defense Minister Richard Marles said the bilateral treaty was signed with UK Defense Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in Geelong, Victoria.
"The treaty... will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines," the statement said.
The treaty is a "commitment for the next 50 years of bilateral defense cooperation between the UK and Australia within the first tier of AUKUS," the report said, adding that it is based on the "strong foundation" of trilateral AUKUS cooperation.
Additionally
The UK Ministry of Defense said this week that the bilateral treaty would form the basis of the two allies' submarine development programs and is expected to have a value of up to £20 billion ($27.1 billion) for the UK in exports over the next 25 years.
AUKUS is Australia's largest defense project in history, and Canberra has committed to spending A$368 billion over three decades on the program, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US manufacturing base.
Australia, which this month paid the US A$800 million as the second tranche for AUKUS, expressed confidence in the continued validity of the treaty.
Australian and British defense and foreign ministers held talks in Sydney on Friday to strengthen cooperation, coinciding with Australia's largest military exercises.
About 40,000 troops from 19 countries are participating in the Talisman Sabre exercises, which run from July 13 to August 4. The Australian military said it was a rehearsal of joint combat operations to support stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Great Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercises, jointly organized by Australia and the United States, including the participation of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales this year.