Category: AUKUS

The United States Will Address Australia’s Military Capability Gap, Says Secretary of Defense

The United States and Australia have committed to significantly increasing defence cooperation to plug Australia’s capability gap and counter the growing threat of Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington D.C. for…


U.S. Navy Needs to Help Australia Defend Its Waters: Former Navy Secretary

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said the U.S. Navy should provide more help to defend Australia’s waters until it acquires its own nuclear submarines in response to the rising threat from Beijing. Australia’s Navy is expected to experience a capability gap as the first nuclear submarines under the AUKUS agreement will not be ready…


US Navy Needs to Help Australia Defend Its Waters: Former Navy Secretary

Former U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said the U.S. Navy should provide more help to defend Australia’s waters until it acquires its own nuclear submarines in response to the rising threat from Beijing. Australia’s Navy is expected to experience a capability gap as the first nuclear submarines under the AUKUS agreement will not be ready…


Britain’s Leadership Change Has Profound Implications for the New AUKUS Alliance

Commentary The UK’s decision to change its prime minister on Oct. 24 pushed it toward another crossroads: whether to pursue Britain’s revival of global trade, prestige, and influence or retire once again to the role of middling power. The recent path toward a revival of “global Britain,” matched by the dawn of a new monarchical…


Australia’s Defense Budget Hits 20-year High

In its first budget in nearly a decade, Australia’s Labor government has announced it will follow through with the previous government’s pledge to spend $270 billion (US$174billion) in military capability upgrades by 2030. Under the new budget, defence spending will rise to $48.7 billion this year and eventually reach over two percent of GDP, a…


Australia Seeks Expedited Defence Capability in US-Built Nuclear Subs

Australia is in discussions with the United States to speed up its acquisition of nuclear submarines in a bid to sooner have the defense vessels on hand amid the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) increasing military aggression in the Indo-Pacific. “It’s important to get the capability as soon as we can,” a spokesperson for Defence Minister…


Australia ‘Deeply Disappointed’ in Beijing’s Unfounded Criticism of AUKUS

The Australian government has pushed back on criticism from Beijing over the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, saying the statement contains “numerous misleading and incorrect assertions.” It comes after the Chinese Embassy in Canberra released a statement claiming a report from the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossim, was  “neither neutral…


French Urgings Will Not Push Australia Into Keeping French-Taipan Helicopters If It Is Not in the National Interest: Defence Minister

Defence Minister Richard Marles has said French urgings to keep the Australian defence forces fleet of  Taipan helicopters will not be taken into consideration, and instead, the government will rely on what was the right thing to do for the nation’s interests. Australia is currently reviewing the program and capability of its Taipan helicopters after well…


Media Mischaracterising AUKUS and Ignoring Benefits: Defence Experts

Media outlets have mischaracterised the AUKUS deal and focused too much on the challenges of helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines while ignoring the significant technology exchange between the U.S., UK, and Australia, according to defence experts at a recent Hudson Institute panel discussion. Australian Senator Andrew Hastie joined the Institute’s Asia-Pacific Security Chair Patrick Cronin, a…


‘Toxic’ Values Undermining US Ability to Tackle Beijing: Senator

Visiting Australian Senator Andrew Hastie says basic struggles with identifying gender are undermining the ability of the United States to lead the developed world in opposing military aggression from Beijing. “These tensions are tearing at the fabric of our democracies, many among us are no longer confident of truth, tradition, and our democratic values,” Hastie,…