Reference News Network, October 3rd report: According to the website of the "Nikkei" on September 30th, the Trump administration decided on September 29th that, based on the security framework built by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia - the AUKUS alliance, the United States will continue to proceed with the plan to provide 3 to 5 nuclear submarines to Australia as planned. The Trump administration judged that this plan is in line with "America First".
The report said that the Trump administration will end the re-examination work started in spring before Australian Prime Minister Albanese's visit to the US on October 20th. The AUKUS submarine plan was inherited from the Biden administration. If the Trump administration cancels this plan, it may undermine the cooperation among Western countries, and the UK and Australia have been deeply concerned about this previously.
A official in charge of AUKUS affairs said in an interview, "The AUKUS submarine plan has been retained," and revealed that the delivery schedule for the submarines will remain unchanged in principle.
The report said that according to the trilateral cooperation plan, the United States will sell up to five "Virginia"-class submarines to Australia starting in 2032; starting in the late 2030s, the UK will begin building its own designed new nuclear submarines; and Australia will start building nuclear submarines from the 2040s onwards.
The report mentioned that due to insufficient shipbuilding capacity, the United States is unable to deliver submarines made for itself on time, so there is a deep-rooted concern among the domestic public about the United States providing submarines to allies.
The report also stated that the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Colby, who led the re-examination, had expressed doubts about AUKUS before taking office, but he also pointed out that if the U.S. shipbuilding capacity is improved, the AUKUS plan is feasible.
Australia has clearly stated that it will invest 3 billion dollars to support the U.S. and U.K. in enhancing their shipbuilding capacity.
Greg Brown, senior researcher at the American office of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said: "AUKUS itself contains elements of 'America First'. Australia will pre-pay billions of dollars and take responsibility on the front lines to enhance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region." (Translated by Ma Xiaoyun)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7556917787155907110/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the 【top/down】 button below.