No images? Click here 14 September 2022365 days of AUKUSTomorrow marks the first anniversary of the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. While nuclear powered submarines captured the most attention at the time of the announcement, United States Studies Centre (USSC) research reveals, the advanced capabilities stemming from the pact in fields like AI and quantum will be more consequential and arrive much sooner than the multi-billion-dollar nuclear-powered submarines. Today, USSC Research Fellow Dr Peter K. Lee and Program Associate Alice Nason published a new AUKUS explainer with what we now know, one year on. In response to the nuclear proliferation concerns and misinformation around the AUKUS agreement, they are clear, “AUKUS will not enable Australia to acquire nuclear weapons, nor does Australia want them.” AUKUS builds on shared values between the United States and Australia. Because of both these values and alignment through Five Eyes, the Quad and AUKUS, Australia is in a unique position to counter a range of security issues in the Indo-Pacific. As USSC Research Director Jared Mondschein notes in his commentary on the significance of Ambassador Kennedy’s appointment, “arguably no US ally is better suited to tackle these challenges than Australia.” Yet, as solid as the foundations are, Mondschein also notes, “the hard work for Australia, the United States and Ambassador Kennedy has only just begun.” NEWS WRAPUS inflation doubled August forecast
ANALYSIS365 days of AUKUS: Progress, challenges and prospectsDr Peter K. Lee Alice Nason The announcement of the Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) security partnership on 16 September 2021 (15 September US time) transformed Australia’s perceptions of its capacity, capability and the role of its oldest allies. Few announcements to date have inspired as much interest, and as much misunderstanding, as AUKUS. At this milestone anniversary, it is essential to revisit what we have learnt so far, what progress has been made, what challenges remain and what lies ahead for this extraordinary partnership. What have we learnt about AUKUS in its first year?Since the last United States Studies Centre (USSC) explainer on AUKUS, written at the time of its announcement, the true character and implications of AUKUS have been further clarified. The security partnership is comprised of two pillars: to deliver Australia a fleet of conventionally armed submarines and to collaborate on a host of advanced capabilities. On the whole, it is apparent that AUKUS marks a 'pivot point' in the underlying nature of Australia’s bilateral alliance with the United States which had been based upon US military primacy and global influence. At its core, the partnership recognises the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific demands a more collaborative and integrated approach to deterrence that leverages the combined defence technology and industrial bases of all three countries. It is now evident that the shared resolve of the three nations’ leaders has been the enabling element overturning decades of established conventions in alliance collaboration, most significantly around the sharing of nuclear propulsion technology. While the current focus is on delivering results on both pillars of cooperation trilaterally, there may also be opportunities to involve other allies and partners like Japan or New Zealand on specific projects in the future. Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special ... she stood in solidarity with the United States during our darkest days after 9/11, when she poignantly reminded us that “Grief is the price we pay for love.” US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on the Death of Queen Elizabeth II | 8 September, 2022 BY THE NUMBERS AUKUS timelineAs we reflect on one year since the AUKUS announcement, it is an opportunity to review the key milestones so far and anticipated timelines ahead. The tripartite agreement has had nearly quarterly significant milestones since its inception, from a Leaders’ Level Summit in April to the recent launch of the Australia-UK submariner training program. However, all eyes are on 2023 when both the Australian Strategic Defence Review and AUKUS submarine plan are expected. The submarine plan will provide the first concrete insights into actual procurement, costs and timings. According to modelling to date, if the submarines are produced in Adelaide, as has been affirmed by the Australian Government, the likely completion of all eight would be 2067 and the earliest possible delivery would be 2055. As the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce assesses feasibility and impacts, their recommendations will set the trajectory of the highly anticipated and debated AUKUS submarines. VIDEOTwenty years since 9/11 with Major General Duncan Lewis and General David PetraeusIn 2021, for the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar with USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Duncan Lewis AO, DSC, CSC and General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Retired). Both held senior leadership roles in uniform and in civilian life during the post-9/11 conflicts and are uniquely well placed to discuss this topic. Moderating the conversation was USSC Visiting Senior Fellow Jane Hardy, whose most recent posting was as the most senior Australian civilian representative at INDOPACOM in Honolulu. Catch more podcast and video analysis on the United States here. Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |