AUKUS partners consider cooperation with Japan

The three members of the tripartite AUKUS partnership, the US, UK and Australia, are considering cooperation with Japan on advanced capabilities projects. The AUKUS agreement explicitly allows such cooperation.

An aim of AUKUS is identifying the optimal pathway for Australia to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability, as well as cooperation on a range of other advanced defence technologies. Japan is being considered because of its strengths and its close defence partnership with all three countries, said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.

This was announced in a joint statement by the three nation’s defence leaders: Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III; Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who also serves as defence minister; and UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

AUKUS has also made strong progress on multiple components of advanced technologies and capabilities, she added, noting that this month will see the launch of the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum; last month saw the inaugural AUKUS Pillar II Innovation Challenge on electronic warfare, “a collaborative initiative between respective innovation accelerator units.”

In the trilateral statement, the three countries said they seek to maximize the strategic benefits of the AUKUS partnership to support security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. They said Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine is a necessary response to the rapidly evolving strategic environment.