AUKUS Increases Australia’s Sovereignty, Not Dependence on US: Defence Minister

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomes Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Marles to the Pentagon in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2023. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Australia’s alliance with the United States, including the AUKUS partnership, enhances rather than diminishes the country’s sovereignty, Defence Minister Richard Marles remarked.

In a statement to the House on Feb. 9, Marles repudiated critics of the AUKUS alliance, such as former prime ministers Paul Keating and Malcolm Turnbull, who argue the acquisition of nuclear submarines capabilities would make Australia dependent on its allies and erode its sovereignty.