Today, the Right Honourable John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom, hosted the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia, and the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, United States at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. The meeting aimed to review progress and reaffirm commitment to the AUKUS partnership.
The AUKUS partnership is a joint effort by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Discussions during the meeting emphasized the importance of this partnership in maintaining international security. The three nations reiterated their commitment to uphold international law and ensure that states can make sovereign choices without coercion.
In March 2023, heads of government from these countries announced a plan for Australia's acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines. Since then, efforts have been made to refine milestones for this long-term partnership. The leaders stressed their commitment to nuclear non-proliferation standards and ongoing transparent engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Training programs have been initiated across various institutions to prepare personnel for operating nuclear-powered submarines. More than 60 Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel are currently undergoing training in the U.S., with numbers expected to increase next year. In addition, RAN officers have completed training in both the UK and U.S., while more than 250 Australian personnel have received naval nuclear propulsion training in Canberra.
Australia has committed nearly AUD 250 million to develop skills needed for its SSN program. This includes providing Commonwealth Supported Places at universities and undergraduate scholarships to build a workforce skilled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
The U.S. Government has decided to invest USD 17.5 billion into its submarine industrial base. Similarly, Australia will invest over AUD 30 billion in its defence industrial base while His Majesty's Government has allocated £4 billion for detailed design work on SSN-AUKUS.
This August marked a significant milestone as maintenance activities were conducted on a U.S. SSN in Australia with participation from RAN personnel alongside U.S. Navy staff and UK observers.
An enabling agreement signed in August 2024 will facilitate trilateral cooperation related to naval nuclear propulsion among AUKUS partners.
Under Pillar II of AUKUS focused on advanced capabilities development, progress was noted across various sectors including maritime domain autonomy and long-range precision strike technologies.
A trilateral innovation prize challenge was executed focusing on electronic warfare with winners announced from Australia (Advanced Design Technology Pty Ltd), UK (Amiosec Ltd), and U.S. (Distributed Spectrum).
Efforts are underway to harmonize acquisition processes among AUKUS partners while consultations continue with Japan on improving interoperability regarding maritime autonomous systems.
The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister also discussed reducing bureaucratic barriers within export control regimes to enhance defence trade collaboration among their nations.
