In September 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States announced AUKUS – a new security partnership that will promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.
The first major initiative of AUKUS was our historic trilateral decision to support Australia acquiring conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs). Today, we announce our pathway to achieve this critical capability.
Together we will deliver SSN-AUKUS – a trilaterally-developed submarine based on the United Kingdom’s next-generation design (that incorporates technology from all three nations, including cutting edge U.S. submarine technologies.) Australia and the United Kingdom will operate SSN-AUKUS as their submarine of the future. Australia and the United Kingdom will begin work to build SSN-AUKUS in their domestic shipyards within this decade. (호주와 영국은 새로 건조하는 SSN을 미래 잠수함으로 이용하며, 10년 내 각각 자국 조선소에서 제작한다.)
In order to deliver conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines to Australia at the earliest possible date, we intend to pursue the following phased approach, moving through each phase based on mutual commitments from each nation:
- Beginning in 2023, Australian military and civilian personnel will embed with the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, and in the United States and United Kingdom submarine industrial bases to accelerate the training of Australian personnel. The United States plans to increase SSN port visits to Australia beginning in 2023, with Australian sailors joining U.S. crews for training and development; the United Kingdom will increase visits to Australia beginning in 2026.
- As early as 2027, the United States and United Kingdom plan to begin forward rotations of SSNs to Australia to accelerate the development of the Australian naval personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory system necessary to establish a sovereign SSN capability.
- (Starting in the early 2030s), pending Congressional approval, the United States intends to sell Australia three Virginia class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed. This step will systematically grow Australia’s sovereign SSN capability and support capacity.
- In the late 2030s, the United Kingdom will deliver its first SSN-AUKUS to the Royal Navy. Australia will deliver the first SSN-AUKUS built in Australia to the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s.
=미국, 2030년대 초 호주에 버지니아급 3척(if needed,+2척)
=영국, 2030년대 말 영국 해군에 첫 SSN-AUKUS 전달
=호주, 2040년대 초 호주 해군에 첫 SSN-AUKUS 저달
This plan is designed to support Australia’s development of the infrastructure, technical capabilities, industry and human capital necessary to produce, maintain, operate, and steward a sovereign fleet of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Australia is fully committed to responsible stewardship of naval nuclear propulsion technology.
When we announced the AUKUS partnership in September 2021, we committed to set the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard. The plan we announce today delivers on this commitment and reflects our longstanding leadership in, and respect for, the global nuclear non-proliferation regime. We continue to consult with the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop a non-proliferation approach that sets the strongest precedent for the acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine capability.
Our plan elevates all three nations’ industrial capacity to produce and sustain interoperable nuclear-powered submarines for decades to come, expands our individual and collective undersea presence in the Indo-Pacific, and contributes to global security and stability. In these outcomes, AUKUS reflects the principle that shared action, taken in partnership, can benefit all.
Implementing AUKUS will also require robust, novel information sharing and technology cooperation. Our nations are committed to further trilateral collaboration that will strengthen our joint capabilities, enhance our information and technology sharing, and integrate our industrial bases and supply chains while strengthening the security regimes of each nation.
For more than a century, our three nations have stood shoulder to shoulder, along with other allies and partners, to help sustain peace, stability, and prosperity around the world, including in the Indo-Pacific. We believe in a world that protects freedom and respects human rights, the rule of law, the independence of sovereign states, and the rules-based international order. The steps we are announcing today will help us to advance these mutually beneficial objectives in the decades to come.
FACT SHEET: Trilateral Australia-UK-US Partnership on Nuclear-Powered Submarines
On March 13, 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of the United States announced an arrangement for Australia to acquire a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) capability through the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) enhanced security partnership.
On September 15, 2021, our three nations embarked on an 18-month consultation period to identify the optimal pathway for Australia to acquire this capability, while setting the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard. The plan announced today will deliver on that commitment. Further, this plan will lift all three nations’ submarine industrial bases and undersea capabilities, enhancing deterrence and promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Australia’s future SSN – which we are calling “SSN-AUKUS” – will be a state-of-the-art platform designed to leverage the best of submarine technology from all three nations. SSN-AUKUS will be based upon the United Kingdom’s next-generation SSN design while incorporating cutting edge U.S. submarine technologies, and will be built and deployed by both Australia and the United Kingdom.
AUKUS demonstrates our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and an international system that respects the rule of law, sovereignty, human rights, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion. AUKUS partners operating highly capable conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines will provide an assured undersea capability that contributes to stability, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.
A Phased Approach to Build Stewardship and Sustain Australia’s Undersea Capability
Our nations have outlined an ambitious approach that will provide Australia with a conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date while ensuring Australia’s capacity to safely operate, maintain and regulate this technology, and setting the highest standards for nuclear non-proliferation. Our phased approach includes the following elements, each underwritten by the mutual commitments of each nation:
- Embedded Personnel and Port Visits. Beginning in 2023, Australian military and civilian personnel will embed with the United States Navy, the United Kingdom Royal Navy and, subject to any necessary arrangements, within the United States and United Kingdom submarine industrial bases. This will accelerate the training and development of Australian personnel to ensure our ability to work together and for Australians to take on the responsibilities associated with these programs. The United States plans to increase SSN port visits to Australia beginning in 2023, with Australian sailors joining U.S. crews for training and development; the United Kingdom will increase visits to Australia beginning in 2026.
- Submarine Rotational Forces. As early as 2027, the United Kingdom and the United States plan to establish a rotational presence of one UK Astute class submarine and up to four U.S. Virginia class submarines at HMAS Stirling near Perth, Western Australia – this initiative will be known as ‘Submarine Rotational Force-West’ (SRF-West). This rotational presence will comply fully with Australia’s longstanding position of no foreign bases on its territory. It will put our nations shoulder to shoulder as Australia builds the necessary operational capabilities and skills to steward and operate its own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Australia is launching an ambitious national effort to grow its defense and industrial workforce to support this plan.
- Sale of U.S. Virginia Class Submarines. Beginning in the early 2030s, pending approval from the U.S. Congress, the United States intends to sell Australia three Virginia class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed. This action is critical to continue growing Australia’s ability to own and operate a fleet of SSNs, and to provide Australia with a sovereign capability at the earliest possible date. It also ensures Australia sustains its undersea capabilities until SSN-AUKUS is ready, given the planned retirement of Australia’s current fleet of submarines.
- SSN-AUKUS. The combination of United Kingdom submarine design and advanced United States technology is intended to deliver a best-in-class submarine that meets Australia’s long-term defense needs while bolstering trilateral industrial cooperation. SSN-AUKUS will be the future attack submarine for both Australia and the United Kingdom. Australia and the United Kingdom intend to start building SSN-AUKUS in their domestic shipyards before the end of this decade. The United Kingdom intends to deliver its first SSN-AUKUS to the UK Royal Navy in the late 2030s. Australia plans to deliver the first Australian-built SSN-AUKUS to the Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s.
The implementation of this approach will be consistent with the trilateral partners’ respective international obligations and domestic law and underpinned by future legal and enabling arrangements for sharing sensitive information, equipment and technology.
Responsible Stewardship of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Technology
All three nations appreciate the enormity of this endeavor and are committed to the principles that have upheld the United Kingdom and United States naval nuclear propulsion programs’ unmatched safety records. For over 60 years, the United Kingdom and United States have operated more than 500 naval nuclear reactors that have collectively travelled more than 150 million miles – the equivalent of over 300 trips to the moon and back – without incident or adverse effect on human health or the quality of the environment. Australia is committed to upholding these same standards to safely steward naval nuclear propulsion technology.
As part of this commitment to nuclear stewardship, Australia has committed to managing all radioactive waste generated through its nuclear-powered submarine program, including spent nuclear fuel, in Australia. The United Kingdom and the United States will assist Australia in developing this capability, leveraging Australia’s decades of safely and securely managing radioactive waste domestically. Australia will manage these materials in accordance with its nuclear non-proliferation and other international obligations and commitments.
Strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime
When the AUKUS leaders announced this initiative in September 2021, they committed to meeting our countries’ respective nuclear non-proliferation obligations, setting the highest non-proliferation standard, and strengthening the non-proliferation regime while protecting classified and controlled information.
Our nations have made clear commitments to meet these objectives, including that:
- As a non-nuclear-weapon state, Australia does not – and will not – seek to acquire nuclear weapons;
- Australia will not enrich uranium or reprocess spent fuel as part of this program;
- Australia will not produce its own nuclear fuel for its SSNs;
- The United Kingdom and United States intend to provide Australia with nuclear material in complete, welded power units that will not require refueling during their lifetime;
- The nuclear fuel that Australia receives cannot be used in nuclear weapons without further chemical processing, which would require facilities that Australia does not have and will not seek; and
- This initiative will occur within the framework of Australia’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and Additional Protocol (AP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Our nations have consulted regularly with the IAEA over the past year, in support of the IAEA’s mandate to uphold the integrity of the global nuclear safeguards regime. The Director General of the IAEA has reported to IAEA Member States that he believes the AUKUS partners “are committed to ensuring the highest non-proliferation and safeguards standards are met,” and noted his “satisfaction with the engagement and transparency shown by the three countries thus far.” The international community can be confident that our nations will continue to work transparently with the IAEA towards an approach that will strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and set the strongest non-proliferation precedent.
Upgrading Infrastructure and Industrial Capacity
AUKUS submarine cooperation will result in significant benefits to infrastructure and industrial capacity in all three nations.
- Australia: The pathway to Australia acquiring SSN-AUKUS will be a whole-of-nation undertaking. HMAS Stirling in Western Australia will be expanded to support the scale of infrastructure required for nuclear-powered submarines – both for visiting and rotational submarines and for Australia’s own nuclear-powered submarines. Australia’s SSN-AUKUS submarines will be built at Australia’s future Submarine Construction Yard in Adelaide, South Australia – employing thousands of workers onsite at peak. Overall, this enterprise will almost double the previously forecasted demand for personnel in Australia’s submarine shipyard, and will be supported by significant investment in Australia’s domestic industrial capacity and infrastructure. Australia will establish additional training, skilling and educational programs to achieve this growth for Australia’s local submarine and shipbuilding industry.
- United Kingdom: The United Kingdom intends to build on the recent investment it has been making in its submarine delivery, such as the £2.0 billion in BAE Systems, Barrow and Rolls Royce, Derby announced last year. This will deliver thousands of jobs in the United Kingdom, including in the supply chain. Australia has committed to a proportionate financial investment in the United Kingdom submarine industrial base to accelerate production of SSN-AUKUS.
- United States: The United States is investing an additional U.S. $2.4 billion over fiscal years 2023-2027 in the submarine industrial base to increase construction capacity – above and beyond its annual investment in undersea platforms – to meet U.S. national needs. The United States also added $2.2 billion to its submarine maintenance budget over fiscal years 2024-2028 to improve Virginia class SSN maintenance. The U.S. is examining what additional investments are required to accelerate submarine production and maintenance to support both U.S. and AUKUS needs. These investments will support thousands of high-skill jobs in the United States. Australia has committed to a proportionate financial investment in the U.S. submarine industrial base to accelerate delivery of Virginia class submarines.
Increasingly Integrated Submarine Forces
Incorporating proven, advanced U.S. technologies into SSN-AUKUS will optimize the capability, commonality and interoperability of all three nations’ SSN platforms. Trilaterally sharing sophisticated submarine technology is emblematic of the broader integration of our submarine enterprises. For example:
- Australian submariner training in United States and United Kingdom schools: In 2022, the United States accepted its first Royal Australian Navy personnel into nuclear propulsion training programs, with additional personnel slated to join upcoming cohorts. The United States Congress, as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, passed a bipartisan provision that establishes the ability for Royal Australian submarine officers to train at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command and eventually serve on operational U.S. submarines. The United Kingdom has also welcomed Australian submariners into the Royal Navy’s nuclear courses.
- Australian personnel on board United States and United Kingdom submarines. Australian submariners already train aboard U.S. and UK submarines. We will increase their numbers and levels of seniority over time as we grow Australia’s capacity to operate, maintain and regulate its own sovereign nuclear-powered submarines.
- Training Australia’s industrial and technical workforce. Australia intends to send hundreds of workers to United States and United Kingdom shipyards, and scientists and engineers to United States and United Kingdom technical facilities, for specialized skills training and to gain the experience required to build and sustain nuclear-powered submarines.
- Interoperable Infrastructure. As Australia upgrades its infrastructure to support the arrival of SSNs, it will build maintenance and repair capabilities that United States and United Kingdom submarines may also use, increasing our capacity to enhance our forces in peacetime and meet operational needs in times of crisis.
Conclusion
The optimal pathway announced today will enhance the capabilities of AUKUS partners to contribute to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. It will:
- Increase the number of partner-nation SSNs in the Indo-Pacific, increasing our combined capacity in the undersea domain;
- Create additional production capacity, enabling AUKUS partners to grow the size of our combined submarine forces;
- Strengthen and make more resilient trilateral supply chains, enhancing the industrial bases in all three nations; and
- Enhance the ability of our three nations to deter aggression and contribute to stability in the Indo-Pacific, and globally.
We are committed to open and transparent engagement with partners within and beyond the region as we implement this plan. The initiatives announced today will strengthen deterrence and bolster stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond for decades to come.
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Remarks by President Biden, Prime Minister Albanese of Australia, and Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom on the AUKUS Partnership
Point Loma Naval Base
San Diego, California
1:44 P.M. PDT
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Well, please — if you have a seat, please take it.
It’s an honor — honor to be here to welcome Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Sunak. And it’s my honor to welcome you both to the United States as we take the next critical step in advancing the Australia, U.S., UK partnership — AUKUS. It’s an unusual name, “AUKUS,” but it’s a powerful entity.
You know, when our countries first announced AUKUS 18 months ago, I’m not at all sure that anyone would have believed that — how much progress we’d be able to make together and how quickly we’d accomplish it.
And I want to thank the members of all our teams who helped bring us to this pivotal moment sitting here in front of us. Thank you all very much.
Secretary Austin; Secretary of the Navy Del Toro — (applause) — thanks for letting us come to your house; Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gilday — where are you, Admiral? There you are. And thank you for hosting us at Naval Base of Point Loma.
And I also want to thank Representative Joe Courtney, founder of the bipartisan AUKUS working group, and all the members of the Congress who are here today. Thank you for being here.
You are — (applause) — a testament to the strong and — and deep support for this partnership across the United States.
Australia and the United Kingdom are two of America’s most stalwart and capable allies. Our common values and our shared vision for a more peaceful and prosperous future unite us all across the Atlantic and Pacific.
For more than a century, we’ve stood together to defend freedom and strengthen democracy and to your — and to spur greater opportunity in all our countries.
I’ve always said, when asked, the United States is a Pacific power, because we’re on the Pacific Ocean. We are a Pacific power. The United States has safeguarded stability in the Indo-Pacific for decades to the enormous benefits of nations throughout the region, from ASEAN to Pacific Islanders to the People’s Republic of China.
In fact, our leadership in the Pacific has been a benefit to the entire world. We’ve kept the sea lanes and skies open and navigable for all. We’ve upheld basic rules of the road that fueled international commerce. And our partnerships have helped underwrite incredible growth and innovation.
So, today, as we stand at the inflection point in history where the hard work of enhancing deterrence and promoting stability is going to affect the prospect of peace for decades to come, the United States can ask for no better partners in the Indo-Pacific, where so much of our shared future will be written.
In forging this new partnership, we’re showing again how democracies can deliver our own security and prosperity — and not just for us but for the entire world.
Today, we’re announcing the steps to carry out our first project under AUKUS: developing Australia’s conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine capacity.
And I want to be clear — I want to be clear to everyone from the outset, right off the bat, so there’s no confusion or misunderstanding on this critical point: These subs are powered — not nuclear-armed subs. They’re nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed.
Australia is a proud non-nuclear weapons state and has committed to stay that way. These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind on them.
Each of us standing here today representing the United States, Australia, and Great Britain is deeply committed to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
We’ve undertaken this project working hand-in-glove with the International Atomic Energy Agency and with Director General Grossi.
Australia will not produce the nuclear fuel needed for these submarines. We have set the highest standards with the IAEA for verification and transparency, and we will honor each of our countries’ international obligations.
Working together these past 18 months, we’ve developed a phased approach that’s going to make sure Australian sailors are fully trained and prepared to safely operate this fleet so they can deliver this critical new capacity on the fastest — fastest possible timetable.
Each of our nations is making concrete commitments to one another. We’re backing it up with significant investments to strengthen the industrial bases in each of our countries in order to build and support these boats.
By the way, this partnership is going to mean an awful lot for good-paying jobs for all workers in our countries, including a lot of union jobs.
There’s a reason why not everyone has nuclear-powered submarines: Nuclear propulsion is highly complicated technology that requires years of training to master.
So we’re starting right away. Beginning this year, Australian personnel will embed with U.S. and UK crews on boats and at bases in our schools and our shipyards.
We’ll also begin to increase our port visits to Australia. In fact, as we speak, the nuclear-powered sub the USS Asheville is making a port call in Perth as we speak.
And later this decade, we will also be establishing a rotational presence of U.S. and UK nuclear-powered subs in Australia to help develop the work force Australia is going to need to build and maintain its fleet.
One of the vessels you see behind me is a Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Missouri. Top-of-the-line submarines are the vanguard of U.S. naval power.
And excuse me for a point of personal privilege — as they say in the United States Senate, where I’ve spent a lot of time — these submarines hold a special place for the Bidens. My wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is the sponsor of the USS Delaware, a Virginia-class submarine, and she never lets me forget it. (Laughter.)
They feature cutting-edge propulsion technology, provide unmatched stealth and maneuverability. And with the support and approval of Congress, beginning in the early 2030s, the United States will sell three Virginia-class submarines to Australia with the potential to sell up to two more if needed, jumpstarting their undersea capability a decade earlier than many predicted.
But the ultimate goal isn’t just selling subs to Australia, it’s developing something new together. We’re calling it the SSN-AUKUS. This new state-of-the-art conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine that will work — that will combine U.S. submarine — UK submarine technology and design with American technology.
And I want to reiterate again: The SSN-AUKUS will not have nuclear weapons.
It will become a future standard for both the UK Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. It will meet Australia’s defense needs while bringing our militaries, our scientists, our engineers, our shipbuilders, our industrial workforce, our countries closer together — closer than ever.
Let me emphasize again: Nuclear propulsion is tested and safe. The United States and the UK have used it for nearly 70 years from — with a spotless record — a spotless record. Combined between the U.S. and UK, all of our nuclear-powered ships have traveled the entire globe — around the entire globe, more than 150 million miles. That’s going to the moon 300 times.
Now, we can’t figure out how to get this sub to the moon, but we’re le- — working on it. (Laughter.)
No, I’ve got to admit, our stewardship of naval nuclear propulsion technology is a point of honor, pride, and deep tradition currently helmed by Admiral Frank Caldwell, who is here today. Where are you, Admiral? Thank you. (Applause.)
And the years of training we’re undertaking, starting now, will ensure that Australia is fully prepared to carry on this tradition and meet the highest possible standards of safety throughout the life of these boats.
Our unprecedented trilateral cooperation, I believe, is testament to the strength of the longstanding ties that unite us and to our shared commitment of ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free and open, prosperous and secure, defined by opportunity for all — a shared commitment to create a future rooted in our common values.
That’s the objective the United States shares not only with the UK and Australia. It’s shared by our friends in the region; by our friends in ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and the Quad; and our other treaty and close partners in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
AUKUS has one overriding objective: to enhance stability in the Indo-Pacific amid rapidly shifting global dynamics.
And this first project — this first project is only the beginning. More partnerships and more potential, more peace and security in the region lies ahead.
Simply stated, we’re putting ourselves in the strongest possible position to navigate the challenges of today and tomorrow together. Together.
So, I thank you again, Prime Minister Albanese, Mi- — Prime Minister Sunak. And the United States could not ask for two better friends or partners to stand with as we work to create a safer, more peaceful future for the people everywhere.
I’m proud to be your shipmates. Thank you. (Applause.)
PRIME MINISTER ALBANESE: Well, President Biden, Prime Minister Sunak, I am so honored to stand alongside you both here overlooking the Pacific Ocean as leaders of true and trusted friends of my country of Australia.
Today, a new chapter in the relationship between our nation, the United States, and the United Kingdom begins — a friendship built on our shared values, our commitment to democracy, and our common vision for a peaceful and a prosperous future.
The AUKUS agreement we confirm here in San Diego represents the biggest single investment in Australia’s defense capability in all of our history, strengthening Australia’s national security and stability in our region; building a future made in Australia with record investments in skills, jobs, and infrastructure; and delivering a superior defense capability into the future.
My government is determined to invest in our defense capability. But we’re also determined to promote security by investing in our relationships across our region.
From early in the next decade, Australia will take delivery of three U.S. Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines. This is the first time in 65 years and only the second time in history that the United States has shared its nuclear propulsion technology. And we thank you for it.
We are also proud to partner with the United Kingdom to construct the next generation submarine to be called SSN-AUKUS, a new conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine, based on a British design and incorporating cutting-edge Australian, UK, and U.S. technologies. This will be an Australian sovereign capability, built by Australians, commanded by the Royal Australian Navy, and sustained by Australian workers in Australian shipyards with construction to begin this decade.
Australia’s proud record of leadership in the international nuclear non-proliferation regime will of course continue. We will continue to adhere to all of our obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Treaty of Rarotonga.
Our agreement unlocks a set of transformative opportunities for jobs and skills and research and innovation in Adelaide and in Barrow-in-Furness, in Western Australia, and here in the United States.
Opportunities that will shape and strengthen and grow Australia’s economy for decades, and create around 20,000 direct jobs for Australians from many trades and specializations: engineers, scientists, technicians, submariners, administrators, and tradespeople. Good jobs with good wages, working to ensure the stability and prosperity of our nations, our region, and, indeed, our world.
Our future security will be built and maintained not just by the courage and professionalism of our defense forces, but by the hard work and know-how of our scientists and engineers, our technicians and programmers, our electricians and welders.
For Australia, this whole-of-nation effort also presents a whole-of-nation opportunity. We will work with the state governments of South Australia and Western Australia to develop training programs that equip Australians with the skills they need to fill these jobs.
Working together, our universities and research institutes will collaborate to train more Australians in nuclear engineering. We’re already sharing skills and knowledge and expertise across our borders, lifting the capability and capacity of all three countries.
Already, today, Australians are upskilling on nuclear technology and stewardship alongside their British and American counterparts.
Already, today, there are Australian submariners undergoing nuclear power training in the United States. And I’m proud to confirm, Mr. President, that they are all in the top 30 percent of their class. (Laughter.)
Built by innovation and extraordinary and emerging technologies, these boats will present a unique opportunity for Australian companies to contribute not only to the construction and sustainment of Australia’s new submarines, but to supply chains in America and in Britain.
The scale, complexity, and economic significance of this investment is akin to the creation of the Australian automotive industry in the post-World War Two period.
And just as a vision of my predecessors, Curtin and Chifley, in creating our automotive industry lifted up our entire manufacturing sector, this investment will be a catalyst for innovation and research breakthroughs that will reverberate right throughout the Australian economy and across every state and territory, not just in one design element, not just in one field, but right across our advanced manufacturing and technology sectors, creating jobs and growing businesses right around Australia, inspiring and rewarding innovation, and educating young Australians today for the opportunities of tomorrow.
Our AUKUS partnership is not just about the U.S. and UK sharing their most advanced submarine capability with Australia, although we do appreciate that. It’s also about building on the expertise within our three nations so that we can achieve things greater than the sum of our parts.
This is a genuine trilateral undertaking. All three nations stand ready to contribute, and all three nations stand ready to benefit. I look out from here today, and I see new frontiers in innovation to cross, new breakthroughs in technology to achieve, a new course for us to chart together.
Mr. President, Prime Minister, for more than a century, our brave citizens from our three countries have been part of a shared tradition of service in the cause of peace and sacrifice in the name of freedom. We honor their memory today. We always will.
While we respect and honor the past, through AUKUS, we turn ourselves to face the future. Because what the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia hold in common is more fundamental and more universal than our shared histories. We are bound, above all, by our belief in a world where the sovereignty of every nation is respected and the inherent dignity of every individual is upheld; where peace, stability, and security ensure greater prosperity and a greater measure of fairness for all; and where all countries are able to act in their sovereign interests, free from coercion.
Our historic AUKUS partnership speaks to our collective and ongoing determination to defend those values and secure that future today, in the years ahead, and for generations to come — a journey that will strengthen the bonds between our nations as friends, as peers, as leaders.
We embark with great confidence in the capacity and creativity of our people, with optimism in the power of what our partnership can achieve, and with an unwavering conviction that whatever the challenges ahead, the cause of peace and freedom that we share will prevail.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
PRIME MINISTER SUNAK: Sixty years ago, here in San Diego, President Kennedy spoke of a higher purpose: the maintenance of freedom, peace, and security. Today, we stand together united by that same purpose. And recognizing that to fulfill it, we must forge new kinds of relationships to meet new kinds of challenge, just as we have always done.
In the last 18 months, the challenges we face have only grown. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness, the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea all threaten to create a world defined by danger, disorder, and division.
Faced with this new reality, it is more important than ever that we strengthen the resilience of our own countries. That’s why the UK is today announcing a significant uplift in our defense budget. We’re providing an extra £5 billion over the next two years, immediately increasing our defense budget to around 2.25 percent of GDP. This will allow us to replenish our war stocks and modernize our nuclear enterprise, delivering AUKUS and strengthening our deterrent. And our highest priority is to continue providing military aid to Ukraine, because their security is our security.
And we will go further to strengthen our resilience. For the first time, the United Kingdom will move away from our baseline commitment to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense to a new ambition of 2.5 percent, putting beyond doubt that the United Kingdom is and will remain one of the world’s leading defense powers.
But ultimately, the defense of our values depends, as it always has, on the quality of our relationships with others. And those alliances will be strengthened through AUKUS, the most significant multilateral defense partnership in generations.
AUKUS matches our enduring commitment to freedom and democracy with the most advanced military, scientific, and technological capability. Nowhere is that clearer than in the plans we’re unveiling today for the new AUKUS submarine, one of the most advanced nuclear-powered subs the world has ever known.
And those plans could not happen without cutting-edge American technology and expertise. So I pay tribute to you, Mr. President, for your leadership, and to you, Prime Minister, for your vision of what AUKUS can achieve.
And for our part, the UK comes to this with over 60 years’ experience of running our own fleet. We’ll provide the world-leading design and build the first of these new boats, creating thousands of good, well-paid jobs in places like Barrow and Derby. And we will share our knowledge and experience with Australian engineers so that they can build their own fleet.
Now, our partnership is significant because not just are we building the submarines together, they will also be truly interoperable. The Royal Navy will operate the same submarines as the Australian Navy, and we will both share components and parts with the U.S. Navy. Our submarine crews will train together, patrol together, and maintain their boats together. They will communicate using the same terminology and the same equipment.
And through AUKUS, we will raise our standards of nuclear non-proliferation. This is a powerful partnership. For the first time ever, it will mean three fleets of submarines working together across both the Atlantic and Pacific, keeping our oceans free, open, and prosperous for decades to come.
Joe, Anthony, we represent three allies who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder together for more than a century, three peoples who have shed blood together in defense of our shared values, and three democracies that are coming together again to fulfill that higher purpose of maintaining freedom, peace, and security now and for generations to come.
Thank you. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT BIDEN: With the permission of my colleagues — I don’t know that our friends can hear — but, the USS Missouri, can you hear us?
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Hooyah, Mighty Mo’!
PRESIDENT BIDEN: I see them all over there. They’re standing at attention. Can I tell them “At ease”? I’m their Commander-in-Chief, right? I mean, they’re — (laughter) —
Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. You all are the best. You’re the best. And we’re going to be the best in the world, the three of us.
Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)
2:09 P.M. PDT
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