“This was just the first step toward ensuring that Australia has a sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability. We’re also making progress toward having a rotational presence of U.S. submarines by as early as 2027,” Austin said.

The following report is by the U.S. Department of Defense, published on September 26th:

The trilateral security partnership among the U.S., United Kingdom and Australia, also known as AUKUS, offers a unique opportunity for these nations to enhance their military capabilities, deepen interoperability and strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III.

Austin met in London today with his AUKUS counterparts: British Defense Secretary John Healey and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, who also serves as his country’s deputy prime minister.  

Read the transcript of the conference here.

Progress has been made toward providing Australia with a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine, Austin said, noting that over the past year, the number of Australian sailors attending U.S. and U.K. nuclear reactor schools has increased and a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine visited an Australian port. 

“This was just the first step toward ensuring that Australia has a sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability. We’re also making progress toward having a rotational presence of U.S. submarines by as early as 2027,” Austin said.

The United States also remains committed to supporting Australia’s efforts to recruit and train the skilled workforce needed to build, maintain, sustain and operate a nuclear-powered submarine, Austin said. 

The AUKUS partnership has two pillars. The first is to enable Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability as rapidly as possible, most likely in the early 2030s, the senior defense official said. 

The second pillar is to accelerate emerging capabilities, the official said. 

Areas of focus within the Pillar II include uncrewed maritime systems, artificial intelligence, autonomy, electronic warfare, quantum, cyber and hypersonics, the official said. 

Japan will be working on the maritime autonomy aspect. Conversations with Canada, South Korea and New Zealand are underway on how each can contribute to Pillar II, the official said. 

Also, as part of Pillar II, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have committed to reducing export control restrictions to facilitate secure trade among AUKUS partners, including the sale of U.S. Virginia-class submarines to Australia, the official said. 

Congress amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as part of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act and implemented an export licensing exemption for Australia and the United Kingdom, the official said. 


AUTHOR COMMENTARY

Ahead of the trip, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Pete Nguyen said: “Through AUKUS we are working across the full spectrum of capability development — generating requirements, co-developing new systems, deepening industrial base collaboration, and, ultimately, delivering advanced capabilities to the joint force with focus on our most critical capability.”

In response to the meeting, ‘China has accused AUKUS of provoking a nuclear arms race and disrupting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region,’ CBS reported.

“We certainly have seen China show interest in the AUKUS partnership, and we’ve certainly seen them in international fora seek to mischaracterize, and to describe what we’re seeking to do in ways that are inconsistent with what we’re actually trying to do,” a Chinese official said.

The U.S. and Western proxies have increasingly been ramping up their aggression against China, especially this year, and I expect this to go into overdrive into 2025.

Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. [7] For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. [8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.


[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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