Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, left, and US President Joe Biden shake hands at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California, US, on Monday, March 13, 2023. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — This has been a monumental year for the trilateral security pact between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, dubbed AUKUS.
Between the announcement of the “optimal pathway,” the sounding of various alarm bells on Capitol Hill and the sporadic drip drop of new concrete details, the broader Pentagon’s understanding of the road ahead has been made significantly clearer — and more daunting.
Here are five AUKUS stories from 2023 to submerge yourself in for a recap of the multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar plan. (This reporter is shameless in his enjoyment of bad puns. [Editor’s note: I’ll allow it.])
[This article is one of many in a series in which Breaking Defense reporters look back on the most significant (and entertaining) news stories of 2023 and look forward to what 2024 may hold.]
1. EXCLUSIVE: Reed, Inhofe warn Biden AUKUS risks becoming ‘zero sum game’ for US Navy
Even before the specific details of the “optimal pathway” were announced in San Diego, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill began voicing concerns to the White House about what AUKUS might mean for the US Navy’s submarine fleet.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., and now retired-Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK, made waves in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom and Australia when Breaking Defense exclusively reported on their letter to President Joe Biden warning him not to let the security pact become a “zero sum game” for America’s navy.
2. ‘SSN AUKUS’: How the US and UK plan to get nuclear-powered subs to Australia
This story’s inclusion should be no surprise to routine AUKUS observers. In March, Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the “optimal pathway,” the multilateral plan that ends with Australia maintaining and operating a brand-new, nuclear-powered submarine called SSN AUKUS.
Behind their announcement was 18 months of work as well as a general shroud of secrecy — just days before the leaders landed in California, few details from any of the three governments had leaked to the public. In addition to a broad timeline for Australia to receive new submarines, it also set in motion a number of tangential efforts to facilitate advanced technology transfers and initiatives to grow all three countries’ industrial bases.
Keen Navy observers always obsess over the minor changes the service makes to its annual long-term shipbuilding plan. But one of the most striking parts of this year’s plan was its very blunt admission that the Navy doesn’t know exactly how AUKUS will impact its ability to build the future fleet.
The Navy has historically struggled to reach its goal of having 66 fast attack submarines in its own fleet, which made many on Capitol Hill unhappy long before AUKUS took shape. With three more boats set to leave American service years earlier than expected and pressure to increase on a strained industrial base, this story is on this list because it reflects the numerous questions about AUKUS that remain unanswered — and will likely stay unanswered for years to come.
4. As Albanese visits Biden, Navy tells lawmakers 4 AUKUS legislative proposals are critical
The challenges of executing AUKS are not just industrial or political, but also legal. As this story highlighted, the Pentagon needs a variety of tweaks in current laws to ensure it is actually allowed to do everything Biden, Sunak and Albanese discussed in March. The changes include provisions to allow for the transfer of monies from a foreign government and to adjust arms control laws governing who can receive American nuclear technology, among other issues.
Just as Albanese was inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the Pentagon neatly packaged up several of the initial proposed legislative changes and began its own public lobbying campaign for Congress to take action in the next annual defense policy bill.
5. US Navy sub boss reveals new details on AUKUS Virginia class sub sales
In March, the three countries’ leaders said the US will provide Australia with at least three, possibly five, Virginia-class submarines. In November, we found out those boats are planned for delivery in 2032, 2035 and 2038. We also learned the first two will be used subs, while the third will be fresh off the production line.
Those dates will be critical information for lawmakers, submarine industrial base officials and US Navy leaders who must carefully monitor the ebb and flow of the service’s own production cycles and submarine inventories.
