September 16, 2021
A Profound Move for Both Canberra and Washington
Diplomacy’s acronym-laden parlance now has a brand new entrant. Three anglophone leaders – Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and, in Biden’s appellation, “that fella Down Under” – have teamed up to launch AUKUS.
A co-operative security partnership, AUKUS reflects Washington’s emphasis on Indo-Pacific allies, London’s desire to tilt eastwards and Canberra’s aim of strengthening its defence partnerships.
Without meat on the new bones, however, the AUKUS rollout might have marked a well-meaning but fairly inconsequential prelude to this week’s similarly named AUSMIN ministerial talks. In their joint announcement, the leaders committed themselves to working together across broad areas such as technology, supply chains, and industrial bases.
AUKUS and the submarine deal make a profound diplomatic point about how Washington weighs Canberra’s importance.
So far, so ho-hum. But then came the centerpiece: the United States would, for the first time in seven decades, assist another country in fielding a nuclear-powered submarine fleet. That country would be Australia.
It’s a big step, one that goes far beyond the important but everyday collaboration that typically characterizes the US-Australia alliance. Indeed, the nuclear-powered submarine effort represents a major step on both defense and diplomatic fronts.
Read the full article from the Australian Financial Review.
More from CNAS
-
Global Swing States and the New Great Power Competition
Commentary
The United States should prioritize these six countries in their foreign policy, encouraging swing state governments to choose policies that reflect the core principles of int...
By Richard Fontaine & Gibbs McKinley
-
The Pentagon’s AUKUS Review is an Opportunity — If Done Right
Commentary
The reality is that U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and Taiwan has starkly highlighted for policymakers the real limits of the U.S. industrial base to meet demand across a...
By Jennifer Hendrixson White
-
Video
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
75 Years Post-Korean War: Can Trust Be Rebuilt Under the New Administration?As President Lee Jae Myung begins his term, he's taking visible steps to reset the tone with North Korea: halting propaganda broadcasts and reemphasizing past military agreeme...
By Dr. Go Myong-Hyun
-
Reports
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Cyber Crossroads in the Indo-PacificThe Indo-Pacific faces a cyber crossroads. Down one path lies deeper military, intelligence, and economic ties between Washington and its key allies and partners in this strat...
By Vivek Chilukuri, Lisa Curtis, Janet Egan, Morgan Peirce, Elizabeth Whatcott & Nathaniel Schochet
