AUKUS: New security partnership for Indo-Pacific

US President Joe Biden administration has announced a new trilateral security partnership for the Indo-pacific. Security partnership was done between Australia, United Kingdom and United States.

Highlights

• This security grouping called AUKUS, will focus towards advancing strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Officials noted that, the trilateral grouping was security focused and is different but complementary to arrangements like the Quad.

Features of the partnership

• The central feature of this partnership comprises of a trilateral 18-month effort in order to help Australia in acquiring nuclear powered submarines which are quieter, more capable as compared to their conventional counterparts.
• Such submarines can be deployed for longer periods and needing to surface less frequently.
• These are nuclear powered submarines and not armed with nuclear weapons.
• AUKUS will also involve a new architecture of meeting and engagements between three countries.
• It also involves the cooperation across emerging technologies like AI, quantum technologies as well as undersea capabilities.

Why this partnership came into picture?

• Australia has felt increasing pressure from assertive China, like other countries in the region felt. So, Australia has sought to strengthen its partnerships with India, the U.S., the U.K. and Japan as well as through other plurilateral forums.
• Though QUAD is there but according to the officials, QUAD is not a response to China.
• However, this initiative was launched in response of Australia wanting to strengthen its feet with regard to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Background

AUKUS partnership is a very rare because U.S. shared this kind of technology on nuclear powered submarines only once to UK, before sharing it with Australia.

Month: Current Affairs - September, 2021