AUKUS: The Trilateral Security Partnership Between Australia, U.K. and U.S.

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 In September 2021, leaders of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced the creation of an enhanced trilateral security partnership called "AUKUS." AUKUS is intended to strengthen the ability of each government to support security and defense interests, building on longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties. It will promote deeper information sharing and technology sharing; and foster deeper integration of security and defense-related science, technology, industrial bases and supply chains.

According to the announcement, the AUKUS Parties have agreed on three stages for the implementation of the AUKUS project during the next 3 decades which include: training and capacity building; acquisition of complete, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines; and the acquisition of complete, welded power units for submarines to be built in Australia.

This announcement began the 18-month trilateral consultation period with two, related lines of effort. The first initiative under AUKUS is a commitment to support Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. The second initiative intends to enhance joint capabilities and interoperability, focusing on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities.

On March 13, 2023, AUKUS partners announced an optimal pathway to produce a nuclear-powered submarine capability in Australia at the earliest point while ensuring all three partners maintain the highest non-proliferation standards.

AUKUS and IAEA:

About IAEA ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 )

Australia as a non-nuclear-weapon State (NNWS) party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) concluded with the Agency a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) in connection with the NPT and an additional protocol thereto (AP). Under the CSA, the Agency has the right and obligation to apply safeguards to all nuclear material in all peaceful nuclear activities within the territory of Australia, under its jurisdiction or carried out under its control anywhere, for the exclusive purpose of verifying that such material is not diverted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Article 14 of Australia’s CSA allows Australia to use nuclear material which is required to be safeguarded under the CSA in a nuclear activity, such as nuclear propulsion for submarines, provided that Australia makes an arrangement with the Agency in this regard.

The United Kingdom and the United States are nuclear-weapons States party to the NPT and have each concluded with the Agency a voluntary offer safeguards agreement (VOA) and an AP thereto. Under their VOA they need to report to the Agency international transfers of nuclear material to NNWSs and under the AP the exports of equipment specified in the AP.

  1. U S Department of Defence
  2. IAEA

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