A major change has been made in the AUKUS security agreement between America, Australia and Britain. Now America will not give new nuclear powered submarines to Australia. Instead, Australia will be given three nuclear submarines already in use in the US Navy. Information about this decision was given during the Shangri-La Dialogue conference held in Singapore. Defense ministers and security experts from about 45 countries of the world participated in this conference.
The AUKUS agreement was signed between America, Australia and Britain in 2021. Under this, Australia is to get at least three Virginia-class nuclear submarines from America within the next 15 years. The AUKUS program is considered very important in Australia’s defense strategy. In the next 30 years, about 235 billion dollars may be spent on this entire program. Therefore it is being considered one of the biggest defense projects in the history of Australia.
What was the proposal in the old deal?
Earlier the plan was that Australia would get two old and one new submarine. But now the plan has been changed and all three submarines will be used submarines of the US Navy. Australia’s Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that this decision has been taken to reduce expenses and simplify the entire process.
Marles said that this is a very big and complex project, so the simpler the system, the better. Marles said that all three submarines will be of the same model. This will provide great convenience to the sailors who operate them and the workers who repair and maintain them. The work of training, spare parts and technical support will also become easier.
Defense ministers of the three countries confirmed
Marles also said that the AUKUS program is very expensive. Therefore, the government is considering every option by which the cost can be reduced. According to him, this change is definitely more economical. In a joint statement issued on Saturday, Australia’s Richard Marles, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsheth and Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey confirmed the change. He said that this will make the work of supply, operation and maintenance easier and will also save expenses.
America has 24 nuclear submarines
The US Navy currently has 24 Virginia-class submarines. But American shipyards are not able to meet their target of building two new submarines every year. It is believed that for this reason it was decided to give old submarines to Australia instead of giving new submarines. However, some people in America are also opposing this decision. He says that America should first fulfill its naval needs and only then give nuclear submarines to other countries.
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