World powers announce joint efforts to supply Australia with nuclear submarines under AUKUS deal

Australia will buy three American-made nuclear-powered submarines as part of a $245 billion (AUD$368 billion) deal to upgrade the country’s naval capabilities, the leaders of Australia, the UK and US said on Monday, March 13. The three Virginia Class submarines will arrive in 2033, with Canberra given the option to acquire two more if needed. Speaking in San Diego, California, the AUKUS leaders said they were committed to security in the Pacific, with US President Joe Biden saying the US is “a Pacific power” that has “safeguarded stability in the Indo-Pacific for decades to the enormous benefit to nations throughout the region.” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak echoed Biden’s comments, pointing to geopolitical challenges posed by “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness [and] destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea." Credit: The White House via Storyful