AUKUS: Security and foreign policy implications
Top lines
On 15 September 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced a trilateral security agreement with important implications for Indo-Pacific security. A major headline is a deal to construct a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian Navy, replacing a pre-existing contract between Australia and France. The agreement also includes military cooperation in the emerging spheres of cyberspace, artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
AUKUS represents the first tangible expression of the strategy set out in the Integrated Review, particularly in terms of its emphasis on knowledge-sharing and technological expertise and its focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
AUKUS has been welcomed by a number of regional players, including Taiwan, as a counter-balance to Chinese ambition in the Indo-Pacific. This could deter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, including against contested territorial claims with Japan. However, others worry AUKUS could increase tensions and the likelihood of conflict in the region, and undermine non-proliferation agreements through its use of nuclear technology. France reacted strongly against the announcement due to the loss of its submarine contract worth an estimated $56 billion and its perceived marginalisation of the country despite its longstanding presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Labour should welcome the AUKUS pact and increased cooperation with our allies. Australia and the US are two of the UK’s closest security partners. Sharing resources and intelligence with them makes Britain safer. However, it is also important to ensure that this arrangement will not in any way undermine NATO or other strategic partnerships. This arrangement brings potential economic opportunities for the UK, and the Government must ensure it gets its fair share of any contracts that come out of AUKUS.
In the wake of AUKUS the UK Government should take steps to reassure France - its primary security partner in Europe - and ensure that future activities in the Indo-Pacific are more inclusive of the key actors. The UK Government should also consider the implications of this agreement for nuclear proliferation, given its commitment to the principles of non-proliferation enshrined in the NPT.
Photo credit: Collins Class submarine HMAS Waller entering Sydney Harbour, Australia, May 29, 2008. Horatio J. Kookaburra via Flickr.