Australia will purchase nuclear submarines as a deterrent. This was stated by the country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, quoted by Reuters. According to him, the AUKUS pact - a trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States - is not only of strategic importance for Australia, but also in the interests of Washington, reports News.bg.
The deal to sell three American nuclear submarines to Australia, agreed under AUKUS, is, however, subject to new doubts. The reason is both the disruption of former President Donald Trump's customs policy and concerns among American officials that the transfer of the submarines could weaken China's deterrence.
The US Navy has set itself a deadline of 2027 to prepare for a possible conflict with China. In this context, Australia's reluctance to even discuss using the submarines against Beijing calls into question the effectiveness of the deal. According to analysts, the transfer of the submarines to Canberra, planned for 2032, could undermine US deterrence efforts in the region.
During an election campaign in the northern city of Darwin, Prime Minister Albanese stressed his confidence in the AUKUS agreement:
„We are investing in our own resources to ensure our security. The great advantage of nuclear submarines is their ability to operate covertly (stealth capacity).“
Australia must pay the United States about $2 billion by the end of 2025 as part of the AUKUS contract, intended to modernize American submarine shipyards.
The leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Peter Dutton, also defended the need for nuclear submarines:
“Australia is an island nation. A nuclear submarine allows us to project power and be a more reliable partner for our allies,“ he said.