5 Years Later, Where Does AUKUS Stand?
On September 15, 2021, Australia abandoned a $90-billion program to build French-designed conventional diesel-electric submarines and instead entered a trilateral security partnership with the US and the UK to produce nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines. The Australian government sought the extra stealth and stamina of nuclear-fueled submarines, responding to China's military buildup and expanding reach into the Pacific, and over the following five years AUKUS survived despite the dismantling of many predecessor initiatives under the second Trump presidency.
Why it matters: This matters for regional security because AUKUS has endured a change in US administration while other initiatives were dismantled.