The San Diego Roadmap for AUKUS: Hits and Misses
The San Diego roadmap heralds a major step forward for the AUKUS in achieving its key strategic objective of delivering SSN capability to Australia.
- Abhay Kumar Singh , R. Vignesh
- April 17, 2023
The San Diego roadmap heralds a major step forward for the AUKUS in achieving its key strategic objective of delivering SSN capability to Australia.
AUKUS illustrates the growing strategic depth between the US and Australia, the UK’s return to ‘East of Suez’ and Australia’s attempts to revolutionise its defence industrial base.
The new Labor Party government in Australia is likely to show continuity on AUKUS and Quad initiatives in the Indo-Pacific, while policy approaches on Pacific Islands and China, as also on climate change, may get a re-look.
The Indo-Pacific construct has significantly enhanced the strategic salience of both India and Australia in a multipolar region. While the two nations have considerably deepened their strategic partnership, there is scope for much more improvement in several sectors.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio gave a resolute call for pursuing “realism diplomacy for a new era” in his Diet deliberations. How strategically innovative and politically effective will it prove in pursuing Tokyo’s national interests in the US–China–Japan calculus?
It may seem premature to discuss the advent of an illiberal global order, however, the numerous catalytic events of recent years and the apparent decline of American heft in shaping global norms and structures might indicate that the international system is on the cusp of a major transformation.
Given its geo-strategic importance, Indonesia’s cooperation is crucial for success of any regional security framework in the Indo-Pacific. It is therefore important that regional powers pay attention to Indonesia’s concern over Australia’s decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the newly constituted AUKUS, especially in view of the increasing US–China rivalry in the region.
The announcement of the trilateral security partnership “AUKUS” by Australia, UK and US, has prompted discussions on several issues, however, the submarine part of the agreement, about leveraging expertise from US and UK and facilitating the Australian acquisition of the nuclear-powered submarines, is attracting a lot of attention.