AUKUS
- INTERNATIONAL
News:
Australia to create navy
nuclear safety watchdog for AUKUS
What's
in the news?
●
Australia will spend A$558 million ($366
million) to create a naval nuclear power safety regulator as part of the AUKUS
programme to acquire conventionally armed nuclear submarines, a government
economic update showed.
Key
takeaways:
●
Australia will buy three nuclear-powered
submarines from the United States in the next decade before building a new
class of submarine with Britain using U.S. nuclear propulsion technology around
2040 through the AUKUS partnership.
AUKUS:
●
AUKUS is the acronym for a trilateral
security partnership between Australia,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
●
It is focused on enhancing cooperation in
the areas of security, technology, and defence.
Objective:
●
The partnership is primarily focused on
sharing advanced military technologies,
including nuclear submarine technology, in order to counter the strategic
influence of China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Components
of AUKUS:
1.
Assistance to Australia:
●
Under the AUKUS agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom
have agreed to provide Australia with the technology and expertise necessary to
build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
○
Nuclear submarines are considered quieter
than conventional submarines. They can be deployed for longer periods without
the need to come on the surface regularly.
2.
Cybersecurity:
●
The partnership aims to strengthen
cybersecurity measures and intelligence sharing between the three countries,
with a focus on protecting critical infrastructure and national security
interests.
3.
Artificial intelligence and quantum technologies:
●
The partnership aims to enhance
collaboration in the development of cutting-edge technologies such as
artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.