RESEARCH MADE BY MUHAMMAD YASIR

AUKUS
An "enhanced trilateral security partnership" was announced in a joint statement
by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, US President Joseph Biden, and
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on September 15, 2021.
Australian, United Kingdom, and United States, These three nations' accord calls
for consultations to start so that Australia can get nuclear-powered but non-
nuclear-armed submarines. This section of the agreement's initial scoping phase
will take 18 months to complete. The three countries would collaborate on the
development of Australia's nuclear-powered submarines with an emphasis on
interoperability, shared interests, and mutual gain. A proposal for additional
cooperation to "enhance our joint capabilities and interoperability" is also
announced in the announcement. The initial emphasis of these will be on cyber
capabilities, artificial intelligence.

REFERNCE: White House Press Release, Joint Leaders Statement on AUKUS

(Sept. 15, 2021)

International Reaction
CHINA’S REACTION
AUKUS "has seriously undermined regional peace and stability," according to
China. Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, continued by saying
that the declaration has "intensified the weapons race and weakened
international "non-proliferation efforts" China charged the three nations with
having "Cold War mentalities" and applying "double standards" to nuclear non-
proliferation. The UK was encouraged by a representative of the Chinese Embassy
in London to "take concrete actions to uphold the international nuclear non-
proliferation regime and avoid any action that would increase tension in the Asia
Pacific region or compromise the peace and stability in the region."

REFRENCE: AP NEWS March 14,2023

INDIA’S REACTION
Tanvi Madan of the US-based Brookings Institution said AUKUS is likely to be seen
favorably by India in light of Delhi's relative silence over it. According to Madan,
India is extremely concerned about Chinese behaviour and intentions.
Additionally, AUKUS is a reaffirmation of the partner countries' commitment to
the area.

REFRENCE: LAWFARE INSTITUTE Friday, September 24, 2021.

FRANCE SAYS AUKUS IS A “STAB IN THE BACK”

France's response was one of rage. Jean-Yves Le Drian, France's foreign minister,
called the AUKUS agreement a "stab in the back." The announcement, according
to Mr. Le Drian, represents "inappropriate behaviour among allies and French
diplomats were recalled from Washington and Canberra in reaction. Florence
Parly, France's minister of defence, also postponed a meeting with Ben Wallace,
the UK's secretary of defence. Le Drian responded that the UK's participation in
the deal was "opportunistic" and referred to it as "the fifth wheel on the waggon"
when asked why France had not summoned its ambassador to the UK. The French
state owns the bulk of Naval Group, the French firm hired to construct Australia's
conventional-powered submarines in a $36.2 billion deal. The loss of the deal,
therefore, has direct financial consequences for the French Government. Naval
Group’s Chief Executive has said that they will seek repayment from Australia of
“every cost that we incurred and every cost related to the demobilisation”

REFERANCE: Independent news: by Chiara Giordano, Andrew Woodcock.

Thursday 16 September 2021.

Macron and biden talk:

President Biden and President Macron spoke on the phone about the
arrangement a week after it was announced. The two leaders concurred that the
situation would have benefited from open communication, according to a readout
following the call. discussions between allies regarding issues of strategic
importance to France and our European partners. In an effort to foster
confidence, they also promised to "open a process of in-depth consultations."
Asked a few weeks after the call if he was now confident that Mr Biden
recognized France’s importance as an ally, Mr Macron replied “we will see”.

Europe union Reaction:

"One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable, so
we want to know what happened and why," EU Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen asked in an interview of Australia. Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s High
Representative for Foreign Affairs, wrote that: Reactions were not just about a
deal on submarines that did not go through, but about the wider ramifications for
EU-US relations and the EU’s role in the Indo-Pacific. The lack of consultations and
communication between the close partners that we are, created real difficulties.
It provided a negative image of an uncoordinated or even divided West, where we
should show common resolve and coordination, not least as regards geostrategic
challenges.

What does it mean for UK:

For the UK, AUKUS reflects the UK’s intention to tilt to the Indo-Pacific, as
outlined in the Integrated review of security, defence development and foreign
policy. The tilt is necessary, the Government says, because the region is “critical
to our economy, our security and our global ambition to support open
societies.”38 Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs the partnership
demonstrates “Britain’s generational commitment to the security of the
IndoPacific” and how the UK can help Australia “preserve regional stability.”39 A
senior White House official described UK involvement in AUKUS as a “down
payment” on their effort to engage more deeply with the Indo-Pacific.
It ties the UK, US and Australia together in a decades long submarine programme,
something the Prime Minister described as one of the “great prizes” of the deal.
The UK National Security Advisor, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, described it as “perhaps
the most significant capability collaboration anywhere in the world in the past six
decades.”

REFRENCE: The AUKUS agreement By Louisa Brooke-Holland, John Curtis, Claire

Mills 11 October 2021.
What does it means for Australia
AUKUS has significant implications for Australia. One of the key outcomes is
Australia's decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, a major shift from its
previous plan to purchase conventionally powered submarines from France. This
move reflects Australia's desire to strengthen its defense capabilities and enhance
its strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific region.
The pact has also deepened Australia's security partnership with the United
States and the United Kingdom. It provides Australia with closer military ties,
intelligence sharing, and technological collaboration with two of its key allies. This
cooperation is expected to bolster Australia's deterrence capabilities and
contribute to regional stability.

REFRENCE: The AUKUS agreement By Louisa Brooke-Holland, John Curtis, Claire

Mills 11 October 2021.

WHA DOES IT MEANS FOR US

A senior Biden Administration official said it: Reflects the Biden administration’s
determination to build stronger partnerships to sustain peace and stability across
the entire IndoPacific region. This new architecture is really about deepening
cooperation on a range of defense capabilities for the 21st century.
President Trump focused US foreign policy on countering the threat from China.
His administration’s 2018 National Defense Strategy was clear that China was a
“strategic competitor”, that is “leveraging military modernization, influence
operations, and predatory economics to coerce neighboring countries to reorder
the Indo-Pacific region to their advantage”. While the strategy advocated
deepening partnerships in the region, critics say his administration did little in this
regard.

REFRENCE: The AUKUS agreement By Louisa Brooke-Holland, John Curtis, Claire

Mills 11 October 2021.