1/4
President Joe Biden plans to meet Monday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, followed by individual talks with both leaders to discuss the next phase of a deal to build nuclear-powered submarines, according to the White House. Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI |
License PhotoMarch 13 (UPI) — President Joe Biden is set to announce a major agreement with Australia and Britain to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines that would serve to counter aggression by Chinese naval forces throughout the Pacific.
The summit will be held Monday at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, where Biden is expected to arrive from Washington at 12:40 p.m. PDT and deliver remarks.
The trilateral strategic partnership, known as AUKUS, was formed in 2021 in response to increasing Chinese military provocations in Southeast Asia.
Monday’s meeting in San Diego marks the first step by the trio of NATO allies in the plan to build an armada of underwater attack vessels, which would launch first in Australia “with the aim of working hand in glove to preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”
Although nuclear-powered, the submarines would only use conventional weapons in the event of combat.
In San Diego, Biden plans to sit down with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, followed by individual talks with both leaders to discuss the next phase of the deal, according to the White House.
The meeting comes a day after Sunak announced he would seek an additional $6 billion in British defense spending over the next two years to respond to threats posed by China and Russia.
Sunak said Sunday that the new funds, which follow nearly $30 billion in defense spending in 2020, will go toward replenishing and bolstering ammunition stocks, modernizing Britain’s nuclear enterprise and investing in the AUKUS nuclear program.
After those meetings, Biden will travel 20 miles north to Del Mar, Calif., where he will participate in a reception for the Democratic National Committee.
The submarine arrangement got off to a rocky start after Australia backed out of a deal with France, choosing instead to partner with the United States and Britain on the $66 billion deal to build the vessels.
The high-stakes debacle prompted the French president to recall his ambassadors from Washington, but tensions have since eased after Biden hosted a White House state dinner in honor of the French president, while Australia’s prime minister also smoothed things over by announcing $578 million in funds to France to settle the matter.
Albanese said the project would create about 20,000 jobs for the Australian economy over the next 30 years, although details have not been disclosed yet on how many submarines will actually be built there and elsewhere.
“It’s a new dawn in San Diego and a new dawn tomorrow for Australia’s defense policy tomorrow,” Albanese said before departing for the United States,
