AUKUS: UK, Australia sign new defense agreement
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AUKUS countries UK And Australia sign a new defense agreement permitting troops from both countries to be deployed and operate in the other.
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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meets with US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese at Point Loma naval base in San Diego, US, Monday, March 13, 2023, as part of AUKUS. (AP)
The United Kingdom and Australia signed a new defense agreement in Canberra today, permitting two longtime allies to host troops and share military intelligence.
As revealed by ministers of both countries, this new deal entails a "status of forces agreement" permitting troops from both countries to be deployed and operate in the other.
During a ceremony in the parliament in Canberra, UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps signed the agreement with his Australian counterpart Richard Marles. After the signing, Marles told reporters, "As the world becomes more complex and uncertain, we must modernize our most important partnerships."
"The agreements we reached today will secure this outcome into the future," he added.
The agreement, however, is still not a full mutual defense pact, which would bind one side to interfere if the other was attacked or under threat. Instead, both sides revealed that they had a "commitment to consult" with each other if any was under threat.
Australia declares biggest navy plan since WWII
Australia set on February 20 a decade-long plan to double its fleet of surface combatant ships from 11 to 26 and enhance defense spending by an additional $7 billion amid the fast-paced Asia-Pacific arms race.
Defense Minister Richard Marles stated, "It is the largest fleet that we will have since the end of the Second World War."
The country will get six Hunter class frigates, 11 general-purpose frigates, three air warfare destroyers, and six state-of-the-art surface warships that do not need any crew members. At least some of the fleet will be armed with Tomahawk missiles with a major detrimental capability for long-range strikes on targets deep inside enemy territory.
This means that the two percent target for defense spending set by the NATO allies will be exceeded by Australia, as this plan will elevate its spending to 2.4 percent of the gross domestic product.
More than 3,000 jobs will be created, as some of the ships will be constructed in Adelaide, while other ships will be provided from US designs and a still undecided design to come from Spain, Germany, South Korea, or Japan.
On December 3, US Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu stated that the Defense Department intends to hold joint hypersonic missile tests with the Australian military in 2024.
Shyu stated that the nations amped up their partnership in hypersonic technologies for the past year, and announced that the tests will be conducted this year. Part of the second stage of cooperation in the AUKUS partnership is technology, which includes quantum computing, autonomy, and electronic warfare research.
