First major agreement for the Aukus military alliance.

Washington, Canberra and London will join forces for a new generation of submarines, dubbed SSN-AUKUS, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced on Monday (March 13).

These devices, nuclear-powered and conventionally armed, will involve "significant investments" in the three countries, he added during an interview with journalists aboard Air Force One.

Australia will buy three American nuclear-powered submarines of the "Virginia" class, with an option on two additional machines, also announced Jake Sullivan.

The submarines must be delivered from 2030.

This announcement comes a year and a half after the formation between the three countries of a security alliance called Aukus, whose main goal is to provide Australia with these submarines.

Beijing has already called the project "dangerous."

>> Quad, Aukus: how Washington is isolating China in the Indo-Pacific zone

Rishi Sunak, before the meeting, announced that he was boosting the defense budget by 5 billion pounds (5.65 billion euros) over the next two years, to "replenish and strengthen ammunition stocks, modernize British nuclear company and fund the next phase of the Aukus submarine programme.

"As the world becomes more unstable and rivalry between states more intense, the UK must be ready to hold its ground," he tweeted.

From submarines to secret technology

The expected agreement represents unprecedented cooperation, in response to China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Canberra has ruled out acquiring nuclear weapons, but the acquisition of such submarines would transform its role in the alliance with the United States.

Nuclear-powered submarines are difficult to detect, can travel great distances for long periods of time, and can carry sophisticated cruise missiles.

According to US media, Joe Biden will announce a long-term, multi-stage plan to make Australia a full partner for secret nuclear technology, so far only shared with the UK, its ally historical.

Up to five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines will be sold to Australia over the next decade, according to the Washington Post.

Canberra and London are then expected to develop a new model of submarine using American technology, named SSN-AUKUS, with delivery in the 2040s.

This plan will take years to materialize, but marks a shift in ambition on the part of Australia and the United States, which are watching the expansion of Chinese military power.

Balance of power in the Indo-Pacific

The conclusion of the Aukus alliance, with the corollary of Canberra's cancellation of the contract for the acquisition of 12 French submarines, had given rise in 2021 to a diplomatic crisis with France, which had cried "treason".

>> To read also: In the submarine affair, France pays for a "too soft" policy against China

The case has since settled down, by dint of intense diplomatic maneuvers, including a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the United States in early December.

Joe Biden also called his French counterpart on March 7, and the two men notably, according to the White House, discussed their "cooperation" in the Indian Ocean and in Asia.

The indignation of France has mainly given way to criticism from China, engaged with the United States in a fierce economic and strategic rivalry.

"We call on the United States, Britain and Australia to abandon the Cold War mentality and zero-sum games" and "do more to encourage regional peace and stability," he said. said Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping also, in a rare direct criticism, criticized the United States for dragging Western countries into "a policy of containment, encirclement and repression against China".

In return, Washington asserts that Beijing worries the countries of Asia-Pacific by threatening Taiwan, while underlining the risk posed by North Korea, which multiplies the firing of missiles.

With AFP

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