South Korea, New Zealand, Canada Considered for AUKUS Collaboration

On the third anniversary of the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and the UK, plans for expansion have been revealed.

Canada's Minister of National Defence Bill Blair (L), and Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles hold a meeting at HMCS Discovery, a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve division, in Vancouver on Aug. 8, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

On the third anniversary of the AUKUS agreement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden have released a joint statement consolidating their partnership and extending their willingness to take on new allies.

According to the statement released on Sept. 18, the trio of nations declared they would consider inviting South Korea, New Zealand, and Canada into the fold as partners on advanced capability projects.

Earlier this year, discussions also considered involving Japan.

The AUKUS agreement has so far been a trilateral alliance between Australia, the UK, and the U.S., aimed at bolstering deterrence and defence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region where there have been mounting concerns around Beijing’s activities.

As part of the deal and the initial Pillar I, the U.S. and UK have agreed to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian naval officers have been invited into U.S. and UK submarine training schools and naval shipyards, with Australia expected to have nuclear-powered subs from the start of 2030.

In August, Australia announced it would take nuclear waste from the U.S. and UK as part of the deal.

The joint statement also highlights a historic international agreement for cooperation on naval nuclear propulsion.

“Once it enters into force, this agreement will enable AUKUS partners to go beyond sharing naval nuclear propulsion information to include allowing the U.S. and the UK to transfer the material and equipment required for the safe and secure construction, operation, and sustainment of Australia’s conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines,” the AUKUS partners said.

While the nuclear submarine partnership will likely be limited to Australia, any new alliances with new nations will likely focus on bolstering weapons development.

“Following initial consultations this year and leveraging Japan’s deep technical expertise, AUKUS partners and Japan are exploring opportunities to improve interoperability of their maritime autonomous systems as an initial area of cooperation,” the Sept. 18 joint statement read.

“Recognising these countries’ close bilateral defence partnerships with each member of AUKUS, we are consulting with Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II.”

There have been increased concerns around Beijing’s actions in the Indo-Pacific, which the U.S. State Department has termed “gangster tactics.”

On Sept. 17, Australia’s Defence Minister said the nation had been working on heightened defence capabilities around what has been touted as ‘grey warfare’ in the Indo-Pacific.

Beijing has been known to engage in threats, intimidation, armed confrontation, and cyber-attacks in the region.

In May, an Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter was forced to take emergency action after a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) warplane dropped flares in its flight path.

The incident occurred over the Yellow Sea off the coast of South Korea, when the Australian aircraft was taking part in a U.N. mission to enforce sanctions against North Korea.

The joint statement also mentioned that as part of AUKUS, amendments have been made to export control regimes, including to the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which will facilitate billions of dollars in secure, license-free defence trade to maximise innovation and strengthen each nation’s defences.