The Pentagon has launched a review of the United States' participation in a massive and historic partnership between Washington, the United Kingdom and Australia aimed at deterring China's growing influence. As part of this partnership, Australia has the opportunity to build its own nuclear submarines, UNN writes, citing Financial Times.
Details
The agreement, which is confirmed every year, provides for the joint development of hypersonic weapons and nuclear submarines. This is a unique and extremely important security partnership that could strengthen the maritime advantage of allies in the Pacific Ocean and ensure the creation of the latest weapons.
This is an opportunity for the Department of Defense to ensure that the efforts are in line with the priorities of the Trump administration
Sources did not specify how the Donald Trump administration might change the large-scale cooperation package or when a decision would be made. It is worth noting that the agreement has broad support among American legislators and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Defense Minister Richard Marles downplayed the risk of the Trump administration reviewing the AUKUS program, as did former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the architect of the deal. Both said there was still strong support for the trilateral agreement in Washington.
Marles said it was "natural" for the United States to consider the project. He added that the Australian government had been aware of the review of the agreement for weeks and was aware of the process. Morrison added that the review is a departmental process, not a political decision. It should not be "overinterpreted", but Australia must "substantiate its position" for the agreement to survive.
Reference
AUKUS is the English abbreviation for Australia, Great Britain and the USA. It is a trilateral defense pact under which the Australian Navy has for the first time the opportunity to build nuclear submarines. The agreement covers key areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, submarine fleet potential and long-range strike potential. It also includes a nuclear component.
Addition
American officials expressed doubts about the transfer of M1A1 Abrams tanks from Australian warehouses to Ukraine. There are fears that it will be difficult for Ukrainians to maintain them, because it is a war of drones.